


Of Social Importance

by sweetayako15



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M, Fanfiction, M/M, Mpreg, Of Social Importance, Omegaverse, sweetayako15
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-28 08:13:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 125,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/989770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetayako15/pseuds/sweetayako15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Omegaverse AU Arthur is an Omega with a problem. He acts like a Beta and thinks like an Alpha, so no one is interested in being his mate. Until the first day of his last year of high school, when he thinks all hope is lost for him ever being mated, he gets into a debate with an Alpha during history class... now the bugger won't leave him alone! Rated M for a reason! Usuk</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this got deleted on Fanfiction.net so after many tears and angry curse words, I'm posting it here. Any way, I hope that all my old followers have found this and I hope that any new followers will enjoy it. Also, the first half of this story is being posted from none edited files, so please excuse any grammar or misspelling that may occur until I am able to go through and edit the chapters. Reviews are loved and much appreciated!

IN the future, many, many years from now, humanity will become nearly extinct from a massive war that used mostly chemical warfare and caused a plague of disease, pestilence, and death to sweep across the whole Earth. It would later be called The Great Death. A few thousand humans, that had the genetics to be immune to the disease and somehow found a way to survive on what little food they could find, were able to help restore their species. However, this story takes place after many years have pass since this war and the human race has made a major come back, returning to the number of people that lived before The Great Death. The terms Alpha, Beta, and Omega are words used in this future to decide what part of society one will perform (Social Importance), and is determined through blood test (A type blood= Alpha, B type= Beta, and O= Omega. AB blood types do exist, but they are rare and hard to place into a group and thus require logical and physical test when they get older.).

Alphas are the leaders, with qualities such as being strong, brave, intelligent, beautiful, and aggressive. Betas are to be the workers that are perform tasks that Alphas instruct them to take care of, so they are easy going people that don’t mind being followers. And finally, there are the Omegas. Omegas are those that their main role is to bear, give birth to the majority of, and help raise the children of humanity, and (if allowed to by Alphas) can work as teachers or nannies for the younger children. They are to be submissive, loving, and sensible.

Now, as time went on past The Great Death, the chemicals continued to be in the air and ground, contaminating the water in the streams and the food that struggled to grow from the earth, thus killing off even more of the already dwindling human race. To survive, humans had to assimilate to their altered environment and thus tribes were formed and, due to nuclear fallout and other various chemicals around the humans, mutations began to occur. Humans now recognized each other by scent as they gave off stronger pheromones.  Women stopped having monthly menstrual cycles, but were still able to give birth despite this.

Soon after, certain women and men started to feel awkward every three months, going into a type of heat that was similar to a female rabbit during the mating season. Later, it was found that both men and women were both able to give birth, and those that went through these “heats” were even more fertile and were able to give birth to more children much more frequently as pregnancy lasted 6 months for them. These men and woman were referred to as “Omegas” because of how fragile and regularly pregnant they were, and thus when fighting and hunting they had to stay behind, and were only allowed to fight or hunt as a last resort.

“Betas” were those that did not go through the heat and were not attracted to Omegas that were in heat. They were originally the group that guarded the Omegas and other Betas that were with child and went hunting so that they could help kill and carry the food back and fought as warriors under an Alpha.

Those that lead the people and were at the fore front of territorial wars and hunting trips were the “Alphas”. Alphas protected and cared for the rest of their tribes as they were the strongest and most strategically skilled. But, despite their strengths they were brought to their knees by a nearby Omega that happened to be in heat. Alphas usually mated to matured Omegas once they were able to recognize the scent of the heat, which caused them to forget everything around them until they were satisfied by knotting inside of an Omega (which raised the chances of fertilization). Alphas tended to have about 5 mates each and marked their mates two of three ways: 1. Scaring a mark into the Omegas arm (which is no longer socially acceptable, but happens to Omegas with particularly possessive Alphas). 2.  Giving some sort of gem or rock on a necklace or bracelet which they carried on themselves as well (Now used as a way of proposal of mating to an Omega). And 3. Marking the Omega with their scent (which happens naturally after knotting). 

As time went on, the tribes formed cities and soon the countries of old were re-established with the same names, and governments were brought back for each country (monarchs, democracies, ect).  After technological advances were made to pass the technology of even The Great Death, scientists were able to find the link between blood types and Social Importance. Soon, as cities were re-built and the need for hunting and territorial wars diminished, social order changed to accommodate for the lack of primal needs.

 Alphas still held leadership positions, but also started to work more in the scientific fields ( where their intelligence was of great use) and the entertainment media (where their looks helped swoon people into watching their movies or buying the products that they advertised). Omegas started to gain a few more freedoms rather than being dependent on an Alpha all their lives until they decided they wanted to be mated (which usually happened around 18 years of age). Betas started to mate with Alphas and Omegas, but continued to be the “worker bees” of society. While the hierarchy of Social Importance still exists, and the roles have not changed much since their ancestors, one thing has gotten much more complex and annoying for each generation of humans: Finding mates.

And that is where our story begins, with a certain AB-Omega who hates himself greatly, but hates a certain Alpha even more. But the poor outcast can’t seem to get the Alpha out of his classes, his house, or his life in general. 


	2. Of New Schools and Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First actual chapter for the story. I hope you enjoy.  
> PS: Hehewuti is my OC for Native America and in this story, she will play the part of Alfred and Matthew's grandmother. Mr. Romus is Rome, just in case you couldn't tell.

The sun was bright that morning. Birds chirped and sang their songs to the entire world; bring happiness to everyone that would hear them. Well, that is everyone except Arthur Kirkland. The young blonde teenager tossed and turned a bit as he was rudely awaken by these obnoxious, feathered creatures that normal people were so fond of. But he wasn’t normal, so it was okay for him to hate those fat tennis balls with wings. He was as far from normal as he could think because he has always hated himself. It wasn’t just his messy hair that was just as rebellious as he was, or even his family’s trade mark eyebrows that looked like two moustaches had mistaken the area above his eyes for his upper lip. No, it wasn’t just these normal problems that every Omega felt. No it was because he was different from ‘normal’ Omegas. For he was what society called an “AB-Omega”, the outcast of society that was doomed to never find a mate or start a family unless they put on a mask and hid their true colors of having abilities that were supposed to be reserved for other Social Importance groups. This was something that Arthur refused to do at a young age and continued to fight even though his body screamed to be mated with each passing heat. And it was his damned heat that classified him as an Omega, which made him hate his body even more. Even the stupid tests he had to take to classify himself had to be re-taken three times because of how off balanced he was. His body was that of an Omega: short, frail looking, and those god forbidden heats. However his work habits were that of a Beta: worked on the tasks given, never asked questions unless absolutely necessary, and calm and collected when facing each task. But the one thing that threw off the doctors more than anything else was his intelligence: His abilities to assess situations, problem solve, and catch on to new information were that of an Alpha. And because of all these things he was deemed a “freak” by all kids and teens in his life up to that point.

 

From kindergarten to senior year in high school, each S.I. (Social Importance) group had their own set of colors that they would wear to tell other groups if it was socially acceptable for them to mingle or not. Alphas wore either blue or red coloured uniforms, Betas had brown or yellow, and Omegas were allowed to choose green or purple. Arthur always wanted to wear red, ever since he had seen his brother (an Alpha) wear his own uniform for his first day of 5th grade in elementary school when Arthur was 4 years old. It was this desire that made him a laughing stock to begin with. He had told an Alpha girl this his first day of kindergarten, and she told everyone how weird he was for “thinking an Omega could look pretty wearing red like an Alpha”. Arthur got in trouble for pushing her over a chair later that same day.

As time went on and his intelligence scared off anyone with the slightest thought that he was a delicate Omega that needed a mate to think for him, Arthur gave up hope of ever being mated. Most Alpha-Omega and Beta-Omega mates were bound when the Omega was 16 years old in a sort of wedding-like ceremony and mated soon after. Arthur was going on 18 years in a couple of weeks and he was pretty sure he was going to be the only unbound or unmated Omega in his entire graduating class in this new school. This thought made him want to stay in his bed even more, but with a brisk knock on the door and then someone barging in, he knew it was of no use.

"Arthur! Get up! It’s your last ‘first day’ of high school and after your classes you have an appointment with your educational counselor!" Ah, yes, his mother. The woman was an Omega like him, but a normal one like his sister. She is who Arthur received his blonde hair and emerald eye colours and his body-build from, though she was little more hefty compared to him. They looked a lot alike, and had it not been for the fact that his mother had long wavy hair, thinner eyebrows, and was, well, a woman, they would look identical. Arthur groaned in response to her ‘good morning call’. "Arthur I’m serious! You have to look exceptionally good today; it’s your last chance to make a good first impression at a new school!" She spoke quickly as she pulled open his curtains and began to gather his school uniform from his closet. School… his 3rd and last high school that he would ever have the misfortune of attending. His father was a Beta that worked for the English Embassy in America and thus traveled around quite a bit between England and America, so his school changed often. Not that Arthur minded, as he had few to no friends to say good bye to, nor too many good memories to reflect on when leaving. Sighing in defeat, Arthur pulled himself out of his bed, stretching his slim features that his mother always bothered him about. Speaking of which… "Arthur, you need to eat breakfast today. I’m not letting you continue this unhealthy habit of irregular meals. An Alpha wants someone that looks like they can carry a child, and you just aren’t cutting it!" She ranted on about needing to fatten Arthur up as the boy grabbed his school clothes and got ready to face the masses of scorn and disgust. Ah, the joys of being Arthur Kirkland.

After being forced to eat 3 pancakes, 4 sausage links, 3 strips bacon and two fried eggs, Arthur felt like he was going to puke. He knew his mother was just looking out for his best interest, but one more meal like that and he was going to explode. “I hope mum will realize she’s doing more harm than good when she forces things like that,” Arthur said to himself with a following sigh.

He had decided to walk to school, even though his mother insisted that she would have his brother Niles drive him. If there was one thing that he could say about his siblings it was this: He hated them. From his oldest brother, Scot the only Alpha of the family, to his set-of-twins brother and sister, Eric (a Beta) and Elsie (an Omega), to his brother just two years older than him, Niles (another Beta), Arthur hated all of them. Even though Niles wasn’t as bad as the others, he would still gang up on Arthur with the others when they were younger: kicking him, pushing him into the mud, throwing his favorite stuffed animal, Uni, into the creepy neighbor’s yard, and even telling everyone that he was an AB Omega. If someone wanted to see Arthur riled up, all they had to do was mention one of his siblings, and he’d go off on them like a rocket.

In thinking about his siblings, Arthur did not notice how fast he was walking, and before he knew it, he was at the gates of his new school with half an hour to spare. “Just enough time to get my schedule and find what classroom homeroom is in,” He noted to himself before stepping onto the school grounds. As he walked through the main doors to the school office he noticed a tall, middle-aged woman with long black hair speaking to two young men that had to be related considering how much they looked alike. One seemed reserved and nodded at whatever the woman was instructing them with, he had shoulder length light blonde hair and violet eyes, he help his head low as he looked up at her. ‘She must be an Alpha… and he’s probably an Omega with how scared he looks and the colour that his uniform is,’ Arthur thought to himself.

Then he noticed the boy standing on the opposite side of the supposed Omega. He was tall and well built, muscles showing through his shirt as he smiled and nodded his head as the woman wagged a finger at him, seemingly chastising him for something. This young man wasn’t wearing a uniform, and had honey blonde hair with sky blue eyes, defiantly a very handsome person. Arthur couldn’t quite figure out what S.I. group this handsome young man was from the distance that separated them, but Arthur was certain that he wasn’t an Omega. Caught in thinking about the second blonde, the blonde didn’t seem to notice the two boys leave and woman with long black hair walking towards him.

"May I help you?" The woman inquired. Arthur jumped from sudden question and was taken aback by the beautiful woman next to him. Being a lot closer now, Arthur could see her features of dark skin, dark (almost black) eyes, sharp nose and soft lips.

"I….I, um…" Arthur struggled to make coherent sentences. 'She's beautiful!' he thought to himself.

"You are…?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, waiting for him to gather himself.

"I… I am Arthur Kirkland ma’am. I am a new transfer here from England," He stated once getting his wits together. She blinked a few times before smiling.

"I see. I am the principal of this school, Mrs. Hehewuti Jones. But the students are to call me Principal Jones," she gently smiled before shaking the new student’s hand, gripping tightly. 'He's an interesting one… he smells like an Omega, but he had such confidence once he was able to speak properly… defiantly not a usual trait of an Omega,' she thought to herself as she noticed his scent. “Why don’t you come with me to my office and I can help you get your schedule, hmm?” she asked, even though it was more of a command than an offer. Arthur followed her to what he assumed to be her office, taking a seat in front of the desk that she sat behind.

Principal Jones started to type at her computer, looking up Arthur’s classes. After a few seconds, she started to ask Arthur questions such as ‘So where in England are you from?’ or ‘When did you move here?’; All the typical questions that Arthur had answered so many times before. After a few minutes, she had found what she was looking for and printed out the transfer student’s new schedule. Taking a look at the paper she noticed something different about it, before smiling wide and turning around quickly away from the printer to face Arthur. “So that’s why! You’re an AB Omega! I knew something was interesting about you!” She smiled as she seemed to get excited over a usually uncomfortable subject.

"I….Uh, yes. I am an AB Omega, ma’am. I’m sorry if that is weird or-"Arthur didn’t get to finish as the woman shushed him.

"That is amazing! I have never met someone like you before! So tell me, is it true that you have qualities of all the S.I groups?" She smiled as she asked him various questions. Arthur felt like he was talking gossip to a freshman Omega girl about the handsome football quarterback, not an adult Alpha about the weirdness of his own condition. Arthur thought it would never end until a loud chime rung through the air, apparently signaling the beginning of classes. Principal Jones sighed in annoyance before standing and handing Arthur his schedule. "Here are your classes. I’ll walk you to your first one since you’ll probably end up being late. But I do want to ask you more questions sometime if you don’t mind." She asked as she smiled and guided Arthur out of her office and lead him to his homeroom classroom.

After introducing Arthur to the teacher and class, Principal Jones left the classroom. Arthur was seated next to a Beta that seemed very reserved and dedicated to his studies. 'He must be some sort of Asian, if his facial features are anything to go by,' Arthur thought as he looked at the boy. He had short black hair with deep brown eyes and seemed to only focus on what the teacher was writing and lecturing on. Arthur followed the boys lead and began to take notes as well. The teacher, Arthur noticed, was probably older than Principal Jones, but he looked like a Beta with brown curly hair. His name was Mr. Romus, an Italian, and was to be not only their homeroom teacher, but he also would be teaching world history starting with The Great Death up to current events throughout the year.

"Now let’s start with why you all think The Great Death started," he stated, smiling happily. Students looked at one another before one boy in the front raised his hand.

"Wasn’t because the people of the Old World were beginning to die because of lack of food and supplies so they went to war with each other, Grandpa?" The light brown haired boy with a strange curl on the side asked.

"That is what Historians believe. But Feliciano, we have discussed this before: Call me Mr. Romus in school, si?" He lightly reprimanded the boy that was apparently his grandson.

"Si… Sorry, Mr. Romus," The boy called Feliciano sunk into his chair.

"Now, we all know that the main weapon they used were chemicals which would later contaminate the air, water, and ground. Does anyone know how people survived these hardships?" The teacher asked. The Beta sitting next to Arthur raised his hand. "Yes, Kiku," Mr. Romus addressed the student.

"It was due to genetic or injected immunities that people of time had. And as for the food, they survived on what they could, most were scavengers and a lot died from poisons in what they ate and drank," Kiku stated.

"That is correct. Very well stated Kiku," Mr. Romus praised him. "Now as time went on, and we know of how the Hierarchy of Social Importance came to be, but I want everyone to think of who played the most important part to the New World’s first tribes," Romus smiled and waited for someone to raise their hand. Then the teacher called on someone behind Arthur, who decided it best not to turn around as Kiku didn’t seem to bother.

"Obviously, it was the Alphas. I mean, they were the one that protected and saved everyone’s asses back then!" The student stated loud and clear, with an obnoxious laugh following. Arthur felt his eye twitch. Then the mystery student spoke again, "I mean, I have nothin’ against Omegas or Betas, but come on. Back then they depended on Alphas to do everythin’! Get the food, fight to protect them, and even die to save their tribes!" Arthur felt a headache coming on as he tried to suppress his need of wanting to hit this student over the head with the Official Oxford Dictionary. Then the voice came again, "Yeah, Betas helped out and what not, but Omegas. They got to sit back and enjoy the show from the sidelines! I mean what the hell? Where were they when their mates were dying for them?”

Snap.

"Um…Alright, thank you Alfr- Oh, um yes? Mr. Kirkland, wasn’t it?" Mr. Romus had given Arthur the floor as he raised his hand, and that was all the AB Omega needed.

"First of all, I think that all the S.I. groups played an important role to all tribes in their own rights. Secondly, I’d like to point out that there are no such words as ‘nothin” or ‘everthin” as it is not proper English," People started to stare, but this didn’t detour Arthur in the slightest. "And lastly, Omegas played quite an important role since they were the only ones that, at the time, were able to give birth to these ‘oh so important’ Alphas. So I believe that the previous student’s statements are uneducated, misleading, and all together, unnecessary," Arthur finished. And he regretted nothing. Well, not at the moment he didn’t. After a few moments of silence, Mr. Romus thanked Arthur for his input and continued on with the rest of the lesson.

As the class bell rang and everyone packed up, Kiku turned to Arthur. “You are indeed a strange little Omega Kirkland-san,” He stated blankly, “But a brave one. I wish you luck,” And with that he got up and left quickly, leaving Arthur dumbfounded as to what the small beta could’ve possibly meant. He was caught up in his thoughts again until he turned around and came to face a firm wall of warm flesh, bumping into and having to take a step back to catch himself from falling. When he looked up to ask what this person thought he was doing, he noticed those familiar blue eyes. But then the voice came out.

"You’re a stupid little Omega aren’t ya?"

‘Shit’ Arthur thought as he realized three things: 1: This was the young man from this morning that he couldn’t tell was S.I. group he was in. 2: This man was, in fact, an Alpha. And 3: This Young man was the Alpha that Arthur had just insulted in front of all his peers. 'SHIT!'


	3. Of Alphas and Dominance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own hetalia or any of the characters from the series. -.-

‘ _SHIT!’_ Arthur thought when he realized he was cornered. This Alpha, whom Arthur had insulted not too long ago, was now here for revenge; hands on either side of Arthur’s desk making a trap between himself and the solid table of wood.

"You talk pretty big for an _Omega_ , Mr. … Curland, was it? You don’t seem familiar. Are you a new student perhaps? Well, since you seem to be unfamiliar with the way of this school, let me let you in on a little secret,” The icy blue-eyed Alpha leaned in, his breath hitting Arthur’s ear, “ _No one corrects me, e_ specially not an _Omega._ You would do well to learn that,” The Alpha’s tone was threatening and sent a slight chill down Arthur’s spine. Arthur knew he should have just bowed his head and apologized like a good little Omega… But then again, Arthur wasn’t a ‘good little Omega’.

Arthur looked up, straight into the Alpha’s eyes, giving the taller boy the best glare he could muster and gathering up his courage. “You should really learn to introduce yourself to someone you don’t know. It might actually make you seem intimidating when trying to give out threats. Oh, and speaking of ‘correcting’ you, it’s _Kirkland_ not ‘Curland’, and I’m sorry that this _Omega,”_ motioning to himself, “Feels that people should be informed of the facts, not prejudice based ideals. You, Mr. Alpha, should learn to speak the facts and not be so one-sided when people might take what you say as truthful fact!” Arthur panted a bit before taking a deep breath and removed the finger that had been poking the Alpha in the chest, calming himself from his short rant. He continued his glare, fiery-green meeting an equally intense icy-blue. The silence seemed to last an eternity, until someone opened the classroom door. Both turned around and glared at whoever just interrupted their heated discussion, only to see soft violet eyes staring back at them.

"I-I-I…. Um, I’m s-sorry for interrupting… Ah, Al, there you are. Principal Jones is lo-looking for you," It was the boy from this morning, the Omega that Arthur had seen with this idiotic Alpha. The boy seemed so scared and skittish, with a soft voice that Arthur could barely hear.

"Tell her I’m busy," ‘Al’ growled at the other.

"But she said sh-she needs you right now a-and-"

"TELL HER I’M BUSY MATTHEW!" The Alpha yelled. Matthew squeaked and then fled out of the room, disappearing from Arthur’s sight. Arthur turned back only to be greeted by the same icy glare, just this time it was much closer. They resumed staring each other down until someone else walked through the door.

"You know, Principal Jones won’t be too happy to know that you’re disobeying her just to flirt with the new student, Alfred," Mr. Romus teased. Alfred looked up to see the teacher pointing at the clock. "You’re also going to be late to your next class if you don’t get going now," He smiled at the two teenagers. Taking the chance of distraction, Arthur ducked under Alfred’s arm to grab his stuff and leave the classroom, taking his time to look back and flip off Alfred as he left.

Alfred fumed, “Why that little- !”

"Now, now Alfred. You should go see your grandmother before she gets mad," Mr. Romus stopped the Alpha from charging at the door and hunting down the out spoken Omega. Alfred glared at the teacher before leaving the room to go to the main office. "I haven’t seen him so passionate since football season!" Mr. Romus joked to himself as he watched the young Alpha walk away briskly.

Alfred was soon staring at the door that hid his dreadful fate. He should’ve just left when Matthew had told him, but _FUCK,_ that Omega had really pissed him off. His head dropped then as he thought back on when his younger half-brother walked in on them. _'I even yelled at Matt…. He looked so scared. God, what kind of brother am I?'_ Alfred contemplated his own self-pity of a bit before gathering up his courage to knock on the door.

"Come in." A voice commanded from behind the door. Alfred slowly opened the door, trying to postpone the inevitable. He looked up to see the principal typing away at her keyboard, her face contorted in frustration and anger. He closed the door behind him. He didn’t want anyone else to hear the lecture that was about to come, belittling him even more than when that Omega insulted him in History class. "You know I sent your brother to find you about 10 minutes ago so that I could inform you of something and you wouldn’t miss the beginning of your next class, but I guess you were too ‘busy’ to really care, huh?" She spoke as she continued to type away on her computer. Alfred hung his head low, staying where he was, as to apologize for not obeying his family’s Head Alpha. She sighed and pushed away from her desk, eyes set on her grandson, waiting for him to respond.

Alfred’s eyes glanced up and saw that she was waiting for his response, “I’m sorry… I just…. Well there was this Omega and-“

"An _Omega_ …. Alfred…” Hehewuti closed her eyes, rubbed her temples, and sighed. She looked back up at the boy, “Alfred, I don’t know whether I should be pissed at you for disobeying me, or happy that you are finally interested in a mate,”

"What?! NO! It wasn’t like that!" The older teen became flustered from the assumption. "This Omega was a know-it-all bitch that didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut!"

"….Alfred, lower your voice. People can probably hear you," Hehewuti sighed. "Sit. I want you to do something for me," She motioned towards the chair on the other side of her desk. Alfred did as he was told and waited for whatever assignment his grandmother had in store for him. Sometimes he wished he had another sibling that was a Beta so that she could have them do all this work. She turned around to receive a paper from her printer, only to turn back around and pass the paper to Alfred.

Alfred picked up the paper, which looked like a school registration form. “What’s this for?” Alfred inquired as he looked through the information of classes, S.I. group, Age, ect.

"That is the registration form for a new student that started today," She smiled, "He is a very interesting young boy. And I want you to help him integrate into the school, to become his friend, and help him have a comfortable final year," She spoke gently of the Omega, thinking about how interesting he was. "Oh, and you will notice on the paper that he is an AB Omega, so be prepared for him to think differently than what his scent suggest,"

Alfred stared at her for a while before asking, “An _AB Omega_? You mean those freaks that think their Alphas or Betas?” And with that, Alfred’s face was met with a folder of papers.

"Alfred stop acting like that! You’re going to get yourself in trouble someday with that type of thinking!" She spoke harshly, "You might be a wonderful adult Alpha physically, but your mental status is that of a spoiled 5 year old child!"

Alfred huffed in defeat. His grandmother was the Head Alpha, so anything she said goes. His father, Hehewuti’s son, was the next Alpha in line for head, and then once he would step down, Alfred would take his rightful place as leader of his family. But until then, Alfred had to obey all of his grandmother’s commands and wishes. He looked over the paper for a while, until he noticed something was missing.

"Hey, isn’t there supposed to be a front page to this thing with this guy’s name and picture?"

Hehewuti looked over the paper quickly and nodded in agreement as she turned her chair back to her computer. After finding what she was looking for, she printed out the paper and handed it to Alfred. “His name is Arthur Kirkland, and I believe he is in half of your classes,” She stated with a smile.

"…..Way…." Alfred mumbled.

"What was that? I can’t hear you when you don’t speak clearly,"

After staring at the paper for a while longer, Alfred looked up at his grandmother with an angry fire in his eyes, “No. Fuckin’. Way. I am NOT doing this!” Alfred threw the papers back on the desk.

The principal looked up at her grandson, eyes dark and brows furrowed, “ _Excuse me_? What did you just say?” Her voice was threatening and deep.

"I said, ‘I’m not going to do this!’ _This_ -“, pointing to the picture of Arthur, “ _thing_ is the weirdest, most aggravating, backwards Omega that I have ever met!” Alfred roared; appalled by his grandmother’s request that he saw as more of a punishment. He was about to go on a tangent, but before he could continue on, Alfred had his back on the ground, his arm twisted to his side and he was face to face with Hehewuti, with her arm that was not holding his wrist was pressing on his throat.

“ _You will_ _obey_ _me,_ Alfred. I am your Principal, I am our family’s Head Alpha, and most importantly I am your superior in strength, speed, and authority. I don’t care what you may think of this boy, but you will do as I say and you will help protect him, even if you don’t want to. Now, swallow your pride before you don’t have a throat to swallow it with,” She commanded coolly, calmly, and menacing, her black eyes boring into her grandchild’s own blue.

Alfred was taken aback. He had been in this position once before…

_Alfred had met his brother, Matthew, at the age of 5 years old when Matthew’s mother (His father’s second mate) was hospitalized and his brother had to come live with them. This boy looked almost identical to Alfred, but he was too quiet and didn’t like to play outside with him. Alfred quickly grew bored of Matthew. A year later, the older brother grew jealous that his father and mother,_ _**his** _ _mother, had been spending more time with Matthew due to the fact Matthew’s mother had just passed away and was being adopted into their family. Even though their father now spent more time at home, as he didn’t take any more mates after the younger boy’s mother had died, Alfred got to spend less time with him thanks to Matthew._

_One night, at their weekly family dinner with their extended family, with Hehewuti at the head of the table, Matthew didn’t want to eat all his dinner. Their mother excused him from the table and allowed him to go to their shared bedroom upstairs on the second floor of their 3-story household. Alfred, wanting to go play with his video games, asked to be excused as well, but this time, his mother declined. In a fit of built up anger, Alfred started to throw a tantrum, yelling how Matthew shouldn’t be part of their family and how much he hated his younger brother. Sometime during his fit, Hehewuti had stood up from the table, walked over to the small boy, and grabbed Alfred’s hand as he was about to hit his Omega mother. She guided the child to the back yard where Alfred’s family kept their horses, dogs, and various recreational vehicles and stood him in the center of the yard as she took a few steps back from him._

_He continued to scream and cry, yelling at his grandmother about how much he hated his father, mother, and his whole family. His grandmother stood there, seeming to be waiting for something. Then it happened. Alfred, who had finally gotten so irritated with his grandmother’s indifference, charged Hehewuti to try and attack her. In the blink of an eye, the young child was on his back, throat grasped by the older woman’s hand as her other hand grabbed his hair which kept him from moving too much._

“ _I am your Alpha and therefore, your leader,” She spoke calmly, as if she was talking to one of her children about the weather,” If you wish to stay in this family and take my place someday, you will listen to what I say. You will honor your family and the place that you hold in it. You will protect those weaker than you and you will train to be strong enough to protect them. You are to accept your brother. You will protect him, guide him, and keep him from the harm of un-worthy Alphas and Betas that seek him. He is an Omega, we are Alphas. Our Social Importance states that we will protect those weaker than us, the Betas and Omegas. Do you understand young one?” As she spoke, she stayed in the same position, one that expressed Alfred’s weakness and her dominance. In that moment Alfred learnt who and what he was, and what his role as an Heir Alpha was._

Alfred snapped back to reality as his Grandmother put more pressure on his neck. “Alright, I understand,” he wheezed out. Waiting a few seconds more to see if he would try anything else and finding that he was speaking the truth, the older Alpha released the boy. Alfred slowly got up and kept his head low. He could still smell the woman’s angered scent, and he did not want to be the one she took her frustrations out on again. After getting up, he finally raised his head, “I’ll do it… But I won’t like it, so I’ll help him get a friend or two, but that’s it. But what I really want to know is _why_ you’re so interested in him. It’s weird and sort of pedophilic….” Alfred inquired, a little disturbed at the thought of his grandmother wanting such a young mate.

Hehewuti looked at her grandson, flustered at his accusation of having a romantic interest in the boy, “What?! No! I just find him interesting! He’s the first AB Omega that has attended this school since I’ve been principal, and after researching AB types, I learnt that they usually have a hard time fitting in. The poor thing, he seemed so confused this morning, trying to find his classes, or who he should speak to….” She sounded like she had just seen an abandoned puppy on the side of the road. If one was to ask anyone in the Jones family to describe the Head Alpha in one word, they would all tell you “motherly” for her habit of pitying weaker creatures and people. Alfred just shook his head at her explanation. It was no use arguing anymore, so he might as well play along with her little ‘mother hen’ game.

"I should get going. 2nd period is going to be over soon, and I don’t want to miss AP Chem," Alfred stated, waiting for approval to leave.

"Ah, yes. I’ll excuse you from this period, but please make sure to find Arthur and escort him to his next class, hmm?" Hehewuti requested, smiling as her grandson cringed.

"Fine, but I’m dropping him off and then leaving," Alfred retorted as he left the room, going to go pick up what he considered to be, a very annoying excuse for an Omega.


	4. Of Forced Smiles and Sarcasm

After finally finding his 2nd period (Art) classroom, explaining to the teacher who he was and that he was late due to being new, and then being placed between a mated- Beta and an Omega that just stared at him, Arthur knew that this first day would be long and tiring. The Beta, Lukas, was blonde with dark blue eyes with a cross-type beret in his hair, whom seemed quiet, but began to speak once Arthur had introduced himself. The Omega, Emil, was a very quiet one and seemed skittish around Arthur, with his violet eyes watching him carefully. The two boys were apparently brothers. As class continued on, Arthur worked in his sketch book and listened to Lukas tell about himself and his sibling. He explained how Emil, who was two years younger than Lukas, lived with the Beta and his mate. His mate, Lukas explained, was 20 years old, an Alpha, and worked as a model. Arthur continued to listen, content with keeping his mouth shut until Emil spoke up.

"Your accent earlier… I take it you lived in England before coming here?"

Arthur looked up from his book, surprised at the serious voice, “Ah, yes I did,”

 

"What was it li-" The younger Omega was cut off by a loud ding-dong chime of the school bell. Arthur started to pack up, assuming that Emil would finish his question, but he heard nothing. The green eyed boy looked up, only to find that both brothers were gone.

‘That was strange….’ Arthur continued to think about the two boys as he walked through the school’s main hall, right up until he heard someone call out to him.

"Hey you! New guy!"

That voice. Arthur felt his body go tense, preparing himself to continue his argument from before, but noticing the people around him whispering, he calmed down. The Omega didn’t want to be labeled again if he could avoid it, and a public fight with an Alpha wouldn’t help him in the least. Letting out a sigh, he acknowledged the young man now standing behind him.

"I believe I said my piece this morning, so why don’t you just drop it?" Arthur seethed, trying to keep his voice low.

"I’d love to ‘drop it’, sweetheart. But a certain Omega hasn’t apologized yet,” Alfred shot back with a forced smile.

‘Oh, so the idiot is smart enough to use sarcasm, hm?’ Arthur smirked, “Don’t you have some pack that you’re supposed to be leading, dearest?”

Alfred puffed up in anger at the Omega’s gall to not back down and apologize. 'You little fuckass. You're going to regre-' Before he could finish his thoughts, Alfred looked out of the corner of his eye to see a security camera looking right at them. Alfred coughed, “They’re on break right now, and besides, ” His lip twitched, threatening to break the false smile,” I want to show you around the school, babe,”

Arthur’s eye pulsed in annoyance at the nickname, “I’m sorry, love, but I have class in a few minutes and I don’t want you making me late. Again,” Arthur started to walk away, tired of this game. Arthur thought Alfred would have just walked away and never looked back on the Omega, but instead, he followed Arthur.

After leaving the main hall to walk across the court yard, Arthur started to feel awkward. He didn’t know where he was going, Alfred kept on following him, and now people were staring at the two. Alfred stayed close behind the Omega the whole time, but never saying a word. ‘This has to end now,’ Arthur thought as he halted and turned to faced Alfred. “Alfred, exactly why are you following me? I know that you and I don’t exactly see eye to eye. So why?”

Alfred stared down at Arthur for a while, trying to think of a way to explain it. ‘Shit, if I tell him ‘I have to help you find friends because the Principal told me to’, I’m pretty sure he’d kick me in the shin and walk away,’ Alfred let out a frustrated sigh. “I…. I, uh…..” 'What am I supposed to say?!' Alfred mentally kicked himself. If he didn’t make this work his grandmother would rip him to shreds!

"Well, you can show me to the music room I guess,"

Alfred came back to earth at the Omega’s voice. “What?”

"I said: You can show me to the music room," Arthur repeated. "But then will you leave me alone? I honestly don’t like you and I don’t know if you lost a bet or what, but I know you don’t want to be around me. So lead me to the music room, leave me be and I’ll leave you alone. Deal?" Arthur stretched out his hand to the Alpha.

Alfred stared at the hand for a while before walking past Arthur, ignoring his offer. “Follow me, I’ll show you to where to go,”

Arthur groaned 'How pig headed can one person be?!' He ran to catch up with Alfred's fast pace.

The door in front of them was extravagant to say the least. Gold colored embellishments, silver handles and pearl white paint, this door screamed “pompous”, and Arthur was disturbed. ‘Who in their right mind would put a door like this in a SCHOOL?!’

"Well, here you are, the music room," Alfred locked eyes with Arthur. "I’ll be back after class to show you to where you can spend your free period," And with that, he left.

Arthur watched Alfred leave, feeling confused by the change in the boy. After he couldn’t see the Alpha anymore, Arthur opened the door to his choir class. The first thing he noticed was the boy from his history class, Feliciano. He was talking with a woman who looked like the teacher, so Arthur approached her.

"Excuse ma’am,"

The woman looked at the Brit, her green eyes gleaming and her long brown hair bouncing with every movement she made. “Ah, you must be Arthur Kirkland, correct?”

Arthur nodded in agreement, “Yes ma’am. I just wanted to know where-” Before he could finish, the teacher reached out her hand and shook his own with a great amount of force, unconsciously expressing her Alpha dominance.

"It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Mrs. Edelstein, your choir teacher, and this," She reached over and grabbed Feliciano’s shoulders, "Is Feliciano Vargas. He is my Teacher’s Assistant for this class," And with that, she left the two boys to prepare for the class.

Feliciano nodded and shook Arthur’s hand as well, the Italian’s bonding bracelet bouncing with his hand. “Vee~ I remember you! You were the Omega from this morning that stood up to Alfred Jones!” Feliciano started to shake with excitement. “It was amazing! I’ve never known another Omega to act like that!”

"I- Well, yes I suppose I did ‘stand up’ to him," Arthur smiled back at the brunette.

"The last time I heard of someone doing that, the person ended up in the hospital!" Feliciano whispered to Arthur. Arthur’s face paled.

‘What?! The hospital?! Bu-but…. Okay, calm down Arthur. It’s probably just a rumor…” Arthur tried to convince himself that he wasn’t in any sort of danger. But that idea got shot down quickly, when a blonde girl with green eyes came up to them.

"So I, like, heard you told off Alfred F. Jones. Is that totes true, or is everyone just spreading rumors again? They’re joking right? Because that’s, like, a death wish!” The student spoke loudly and gave Arthur a headache with their lack of proper vocabulary. But two things did manage to stick out.

Arthur’s face paled again, almost going white. ‘A DEATH WISH?! He wouldn’t… Wait. THAT was not a girl’s voice that just came out of that mouth,’

Feliciano decided to speak up, “Oh, this is Feliks. He’s a Beta from Poland and is in the Junior class. And Feliks, it’s not nice to say things like that…,”

Arthur finally put two and two together to figure out that the blonde girl with the horrific terminology was actually a blonde, cross dressing boy with horrific terminology. “So Alfred has a bad reputation?” Arthur inquired.

"Not really, he’s usually really friendly with people and-" Feliks cut off the Italian.

"Yeah he does. I heard that he once broke a guy’s arm just because the man, like, looked at his brother! And another rumor that went around was that he hunted one guy down and totes beat him to a bloody pulp, all because, like, the guy made Matthew cry!"

Arthur was trying to process the information as quickly as possible, but he just couldn’t keep up. “Wait, wait, wait. So is Matthew Alfred’s cousin or something?”

Feliks started come closer to Arthur as he got more excited about spreading the rumors, “No, no. Matthew and Alfred are, like, Bros! They’re half-brothers that are only a couple months apart from different moms! And see, Alfred’s really protective of him, to the point where Matthew’s never been bonded because everyone’s totes afraid of Alfred! So anyway, there was another one where….”

Arthur had stopped listening. The boy from this morning, which Alfred had yelled at, was Alfred’s brother. ‘So Matthew is his brother…. And is unbound and…..He’s UNBOUND! I’m not the only one!’ Arthur smiled brightly at this prospect. He wasn’t the only one that was different!

"Alright everyone, take your seats! Class will now begin!" Mrs. Edelstein called.

The class flew by and Arthur couldn’t remember anything from it. But he didn’t care. He just wanted to meet this other Omega properly and soon. He was so giddy about the idea that he had forgotten all about the Alpha that he had just been talking about before class.

He was going to walk right pass the young man until Alfred shouted, “You know, if you stand a guy up that’s trying to help you, you come off as a total bitch, right?” Everyone turned around. Arthur stopped in his tracks and felt his good mood go south for the winter.

Feeling his attitude shift, his Omega and Alpha traits started to fight with each other. His Omega side told him to apologize and let Alfred push him around. But his Alpha mind set would have none of that. It wanted Arthur to turn around and punch the stuck up boy. But just this once, to keep his good mood with him, Arthur decided to submit.

"Sorry… I was just thinking about something else, so I forgot you were going to show me around… I’m sorry…"Arthur nervously explained, head hung low, and blushing from embarrassment. He stood there for a few moments in silence before looking up at the Alpha. And what he saw shocked him.

Alfred was red. He was as red as his uniform, making his eyes look like they were popping out. ‘He looks like he’s going to explode!’ Arthur began to panic. He had done what his Omega instincts told him to do: submit! It confused Arthur that Alfred looked like he was going to beat him up just for doing what the taller thought Omegas should do. “Is- Is something wrong?” Arthur asked, hoping not to get pummeled.

Alfred couldn’t believe it. He was not prepared for that. He was expecting the AB Omega to turn around and flip him off again like he did this morning, not a soft voiced apology that he would typically hear from an Omega like his brother! Worst of all, it made the Omega look somewhat cute! Alfred was prepared to fight, to defend, and possibly break a couple bones. But this, was not something Alfred F. Jones, the Head Alpha of his class, and Quarterback of the Varsity National title holding football team, was ready to face. So he had to think fast. He grabbed Arthur’s arm and pulled him to the library, quickly telling him that this is where most people stay for free period, and left. But it wasn’t that he was just leaving, he was running away. 

Arthur stood dumbfounded. Never, in his life, had he seen someone so angry. As the bell for class brought him out of his thoughts, Arthur looked around the library, seeing the vast amount of books and genres that they encompassed. He decided to introduce himself to the librarian, and after doing so, went to the fantasy section. For the next hour, Arthur had forgotten all about Alfred. F. Jones as he read about dragons, knights, and princesses. When he heard the bell ring, he got up and decided it might be best if he found out where his AP Literature class would be held. Before he could reach the librarian, however, he saw Alfred at the desk. As the Omega walked closer, he held his head high in case the Alpha decided to verbally attack him, but he noticed something was off. He wasn’t wearing an Alpha red uniform like before; instead he was wearing an Omega purple uniform. And his hair had mysteriously gotten longer, and his cowlick turned into a long single, stand alone, curl. And his eyes weren’t midday blue, they were now Dusk violet. Then it hit Arthur. This wasn’t Alfred; this was the Omega that he had wanted to meet! This was Matthew!


	5. Of New Friends and Honor

"Excuse me?"

Matthew looked up from his cell phone to see young man staring at him. He looked around, checking that the other Omega was talking to him. “Um…. May I he-help you?”

"Are you Matthew, Alfred Jones’ brother?"

"Um, yes I am…. I’m sorry to s-sound rude, b-but who are you?" Matthew stared at the shorter boy, trying to figure out where he had seen him before.

"Ah, yes," The green-eyed student reached out his hand, "I’m Arthur Kirkland,"

Matthew’s eyes lit up. ‘So this is the guy Grandmother was talking about… the AB Omega,’ He shook Arthur’s hand, smiling gently at the other. “You were the one that was with my brother this morning, right?” Arthur’s eyes shifted in annoyance, nodding in response. Matthew chuckled quietly, “I’m sorry if he was causing you any trouble…. He seems to do that often,”

"So I’ve heard. Felkis was very…. Excited to fill me in,”

"What? I-I mean…. Well, not all the ru-rumors are true…" Matthew’s eyes drifted to the right, "I mean, h-he’s a good-" Matthew was cut off by a vibrating sound coming from the phone in his hand. "Ah, I should answer this text. I’m sorry," Matthew looked at his phone and smiled. Noticing the boy was no longer mentally there, Arthur decided to inquire about his next class.

Seeing that there was a new librarian at the desk than the one from before, Arthur primed himself to re-introduce himself. “Excuse me, miss,” The woman turned her chair around, and the face Arthur was met with had to be the ugliest face for a woman that he had ever seen! While she had short blonde, silky hair, her face bore a beard! And then she spoke.

"Ah, yes mon cher?"

‘Good lord, what is it with this school and men that look like women?!’ Arthur coughed, blushing, “I’m sorry. I just thought that you-“

"You thought that it was ‘love at first sight’ you say? Mon Dieu!" The Frenchman threw his head back with his arm swinging with it, "This is too soon!" Arthur’s eye twitched for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"I’m sorry, you seemed to have misunderstood. I am just trying to find my way to my next class," Arthur calmly explained.

The man threw his arms across the desk to grab Arthur’s hands and bring them face to face. “Do you not feel the strings of amour that connect us? They are as clear and tangible as your forest green eyes and sun blonde hair,” The bearded man started to grab Arthur’s chin, bringing them closer together, “I could play you the sonnet of Aphrodite with them, taking you to a land of where all of your dreams, myself included, can come true. Why don’t you and I-“

"Francis!"

Arthur snapped out of the trance the strange man had put him in. Both the Brit and Frenchman turned to look at the typically quiet Matthew. “I thought Jeanne told you to behave while she was gone,” Matthew spoke harshly. Well, as harshly as an Omega could muster.

"Ah, so you speak the truth, mon cousin," Francis let go of the boy to sit back down. He crossed his legs and smiled at Arthur, who was still flustered. "So who would this lovely young man be that I have charmed?"

Matthew looked at Arthur, “Oh, his n-name is-“

"My name is Arthur Kirkland, and you did not ‘charm’ me as you so put it. I was merely distracted by your hideous frog-like face. And who the hell do you think you are?” Arthur demanded. Francis’ eyes grew large, and his smile grew even wider.

“Arthur Kirkland you say? You wouldn’t happen to be related to Scot Kirkland would you?” Francis leaned forward in the chair.

Arthur stood shocked for a moment. ‘He knows Scot?’ Arthur glared at the man, “Yes, I am. But why would that matter to someone like you?”

"Ah! So you are him!" Francis gleamed, jumping up and running to the front of the desk. "You are little Arthur Kirkland! My, how long has it been?," He threw his hands onto Arthur’s shoulders, looking the student up and down, "You were no more than 8, if I remember correctly. Ah you have grown to quite the handsome young Omega, haven’t you? And I see your eyebrows have grown with your body as well! They still look so disproportionate, just like your brother’s!" The Frenchman let out a loud laugh, causing everyone (only a few, unfortunate, students) to stop and stare at the three.

Arthur started to go through his childhood memories, trying to place where the man could have appeared in his life before. Finding none, he became even more confused. “Who are you?! I’ve never met you before in my life!” Arthur jumped out of the man’s clutches.

Francis frowned at the boy’s lack of memory. “Well, I guess it has been a long time,” He chuckled, “You’re not able to remember me, but you are able to remember the “frog” nickname… What a strange boy you are,” He shook his head. “My name is Francis Bonnefoy, and from what I remember, it was your family’s first time here in America that I met your brother. Your brother, Scot, and I went to middle school together until your father had to go back to England. The first time I met you, you were about 5 and your brother and I were paired up to work on a project together at your family’s house. You would cling to your mother the whole time that Scot and I would work, and wouldn’t even come near me!” Francis’ gave an annoyed laugh, “Though, as I was leaving that day, you came up to me and said, ‘Miss, you’re a very pretty lady. Are you going to mate with my brother and be my big sister someday?’”

Arthur’s face paled at the memory. 'Fucking god, this is HER! I mean HIM! He…. That was the day that my brother locked me outside in the snow! I was sick for weeks because of that!' Arthur stood there, gapping like a fish, not knowing what to say to the ever effeminate male. “I-I didn’t…You….”

A fairly loud laugh rang through the air. Arthur turned his head to look at Matthew, who was now hunched over and laughing. “Oh my god! I’m going to have to tell Jeanne that one!” His laughter quieted down as he wiped tears from his eyes. Arthur sent him a death glare, the boy smiled back at him. “Oh not about you Arthur! Jeanne is Francis’ mate, the Librarian that was here before. I’m sure she’d like to know that Francis was going to be a ‘wife’ when he was younger,” He laughed again.

Francis gave an annoyed laugh, “Matthew, aren’t you going to be late for class? You should probably get going,”

Matthew, catching the hint, looked at his phone, “Well, I g-guess I should get going,” He looked at Arthur, “Arthur, didn’t you say ea-earlier you didn’t know where it was?” Arthur nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll s-show you then. Which class is it?”

"AP Literature,"

"Ah! I have the s-same class! Why don’t we go together?" Matthew invited.

"Sure," Arthur smiled at the boy.

After Francis bid the boys farewell, the two walked down the hall, chatting as they went. Arthur learnt quite a bit about Matthew in the short time, like how the Principal was his and Alfred’s grandmother, and how Alfred was going to be head of their family one day. ‘Well, doesn’t that explain a lot?’ Arthur thought with a chuckle. Soon they were at their classroom, and after talking to the teacher, Arthur sat next to Matthew and noticed Kiku was behind him. The three of them talked till class began, when the teacher started to take roll.

As the roll-call went on, Arthur noticed a familiar voice some from the back of the class. He turned his head ever so slightly to see Alfred staring right back at him. Thinking the Alpha was still mad at him, Arthur glared at him, trying to convey a type of mutual feeling, but all it did was make Alfred ignore him, turning his attention back towards the teacher. After that, class went by smoothly. As the bell rang, Arthur watched as Alfred walked over to him, or, at least he thought he was. Instead, Alfred walked right by AB Omega, grabbed Matthew’s arm and pulled him out of the class. Arthur looked towards Kiku for some sort of explanation, but the Japanese boy just shook his head. Soon, Matthew returned and offered to show Arthur to his next class.

As they walked along, Arthur started to ask more questions about Matthew and his life, and Matthew answered each one. “Matthew, may I ask you a question about your brother?” Matthew nodded. “Why is it your brother hates Omegas so much? I mean, besides you of course,”

Matthew thought for a bit. “Well, I guess he doesn’t really hate us per se. I m-mean, his mother is an Omega and he loves her. See, when we were younger he would always stand up for me whenever someone made fun of or ignored me, w-which happened a lot. As we got older, he got more pro-protective of me and didn’t really notice any other Omegas th-that were trying to get his attention, since he was too busy fi-fighting off anyone that came onto me. And by the time he realized that he would need a mate, well…” Matthew’s eye looked down in sadness, “Well, ev-everyone that he con-considered to be good material already had a mate, so he tried going out with people below his stan-standards. I guess that’s when he started dis-disliking Omegas,” Matthew looked at Arthur, “See, unlike you, any Omega that went out with or e-even tried to talk with my brother would get scared right away and le-leave. He even tried going out with a few Betas, b-but those never ended well either. So last year my brother just gave up, I-I guess,” Matthew smiled sadly, “He means well, and he’s a real goofball once you get to know him, but thanks t-to me he’s gotten a pretty bad reputation,”

Arthur thought about what Matthew had told him all the way to his class. ‘Huh, I guess that makes some sense… but that still doesn’t explain why he got so pissed earlier,’

"Here you go," Matthew stopped in front of the Home Economics classroom.

"Ah, thank you. I take it you aren’t taking this class?"

"I took this class earlier today. I have my free p-periods back to back, so I can go home now," Matthew explained with a soft smile. "I’ll see you t-tomorrow, okay?"

"Right. Have a good day Matthew," And with that Matthew and Arthur shook hands.

After Matthew had left, Arthur walked into the room to do the last introduction of the day. He hated ‘first days’ because he had to repeat himself so often. He wished he could just announce himself over the loud speaker, but that isn’t something an Omega does. After finding his seat, Arthur looked around the room for any familiar faces, finding one: Feliciano. The Italian waved to him and walked over to take the other open seat at the large cooking table Arthur was at. Class soon began as the teacher went through roll-call.

As he came to the end of the list he stopped for a moment. “Feliciano?”

"Yes, Mr. Edelstein?"

"Is your brother not here today? I heard from your Choir teacher that he has fallen ill, is that correct?" The semi-flamboyant teacher asked, his one strange curl bobbing up and down as he spoke.

"Vee~ Well, in a way he is sick…. B-but not the ‘bad’ kind of sick! He’s going to have a bambino soon!’ The Italian spoke quickly as he started to bounce in his chair.

Arthur blushed at the foreign term for ‘baby’. ‘A baby….I wonder what it would be like… to have a child. Someone to depend on you, to love you… and then there would be its’ father too, who would hopefully love you just as much as you did them… I wonder whose eyes they would have… I pray they don’t have my eyebrows or hair! That would be a terrible thing. But as long as they’re healthy, I guess I’d be happy… Maybe if it was a little girl I would name her Alice and dress her up in all those cute dresses mother keeps making for when Scot’s mate has a baby. Or if it was a boy he could be named after father, or the child’s father, and I could….’ Arthur often had weird thoughts like this when he was in his heat, but the longer he stayed un-mated, the more regular they became. He tried to deny it for a long time, but he knew: He craved to have a baby. His body demanded it every time he went into heat. The want of going out and seducing any given Alpha, or even the thought of just finding any willing Beta, it drove him crazy. But before his thoughts could get any deeper, the teacher started to introduce himself, slapping a ruler on the desk to get everyone’s attention.

"My name is Roderich Edelstein; you all may call me Mr. Edelstein. Yes, Mrs. Edelstein is my wife, before any of you ask any obvious questions. And this," He guided his hand to his left to a studentstanding in the doorway, out of breath from running, "Is my Teacher’s Assistant, Mr. Alfred Jones. How nice of you to make it on your first day, Alfred,"

‘Someone up above must have it in for me…’ Arthur let his head hit the table. Arthur felt his stomach turn and his mind go blank.

As class went on, Arthur started to dread it more and more. It was a requirement for Omegas to take a Home Economics class to graduate and, as this school would soon find out, cooking and baking were not exactly his forte. Sure, he could sew, clean, knit, and sing, but as his sister put it, “I’d rather take my chances in the dump than eat your cookin’”. Personally, Arthur thought he was a great cook! Burn marks add flavoring after all, so why would having a lot of flavoring be a bad thing? But alas, even his own mother would always politely turn down his offer of helping her with dinner. She wouldn’t even let him make a salad! But Arthur was not detoured. He would show everyone in this class that he was destined to be a great cook!

"Alright class, I want to get everyone started on their first in-class assignment! You are to make me a simple crepe. I have the pans and ingredients for the crepes and fillings up here on my desk. I am also going to be splitting you all up into teams of two. Now," Mr. Edelstein pulled out a clip board from beneath his desk, "It appears that, due to Lovino being away, Mr. Kirkland will not have a partner. So," He turned to his TA, "Alfred, you’re going to help Arthur in this assignment," Alfred looked up at the teacher with an annoyed face. But after the stare down that Alfred gave up on, he let out a sigh and walked over to the table.

After assigning all the other teams and showing them the basics of how to make a crepe, Mr. Edelstein allowed them to begin. Arthur went to grab the ingredients and started to pour the flour mixture into the bowl. Arthur tried to ignore Alfred through the whole process, but he was finding it to be pretty difficult. “Do you mind helping me? Or are you just going to sit on your arse all day and day dream?” Arthur finally snapped.

Alfred looked up at him, “Sorry sweetheart but it’s your grade, not mine. Besides, isn’t supposed to be, I don’t know, instinctual for an Omega to cook?”

Arthur glared at him, “You’re being judgmental again,”

"Oh~ So little Artie saying he isn’t a typical Omega? Big surprise there,"

"You’re just being an obnoxious Alpha who thinks he’s all high and mighty,"

"You’re just a pathetic Omega that doesn’t know how to act his S.I. class,"

"At least I don’t get pissed at people just for behaving properly,"

"At least I’m not some freak AB-type,"

Arthur felt something inside of him snap, and before he knew it, the flour and water mixture he had been working on was dripping down Alfred’s face. Everyone stopped to look at the commotion, even the teacher. But before Mr. Edelstein could stop him, Alfred pinned Arthur, face down, to the floor. “You are going to pay for that," He seethed into Arthur’s ear. Arthur, afraid of what would happen, started to struggled to get out of Alfred’s grip. But the next thing he knew, he felt a sharp pain go through his body as Alfred flipped him over and slammed him onto the floor, his head hitting the tile. Alfred grabbed Arthur’s neck and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "You are going to apologize to me, clean this up, and finish the damn project on your own. Do you understand?"

Arthur didn’t say a word. Alfred leaned back to look down on the Omega to see him crying. Or, at least, on the verge of it, as he was shaking and tears were forming. Alfred froze and stared down at the boy, losing all sense of time and place as he watched some blood start to pool around Arthur’s neck.

"ALFRED FRANKLIN JONES! TO THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE! NOW!" Mr. Edelstein shouted.

Alfred was brought back to earth as he looked around and noticed everyone around him whispering. ‘FUCK!’ He mentally shouted at himself. Another rumor was already starting, and this time, it was going to be pretty damn true. He got up and walked out, knowing all too well where he had to go and who he had to face. After he had left, Feliciano and Mr. Edelstein helped Arthur up, and Italian guided him to the nurse’s office. After having his head looked at (which turned out to only be a cut from a broken tile on the base of his neck) by the nurse, a Chinese man named Xaio, and talking to him for the rest of 6th period, Arthur was asked to go to Principal Jones’ office. Arthur was honestly terrified. His Omega side started to freak out. 'She's his grandmother! His family's Head Alpha! To insult one of her children is to insult her…. Oh what have I done?' Arthur felt tears welling up in his eyes again as he walked. Then he felt his stronger, Alpha mind set kick in. ‘Calm down, Arthur. You’re stronger than this! And the douche deserved what he got!’ Arthur wiped his eyes as he stopped at the door, debating if he should knock or run. After deciding not to be a coward, Arthur knocked.

"Please come in," Arthur pushed the door open. He was shocked. There was Alfred, bruised and beaten, sitting across from the principal who was smiling at Arthur. "Arthur! Please take a seat next to me," She patted the chair. Arthur walked cautiously over to the chair, eyes on Alfred the whole time. "So, I understand you two got into a bit of a tussle in Home Ec, is that correct?” Both boys slowly nodded. “So, Arthur, how is your head?”

Arthur looked at her, not sure how to respond. “It was just a cut on the back of my neck…”

"Is anything else wrong?"

Arthur looked at Alfred, who kept his eyes down. “There’s some bruising and cuts, but nothing major,”

Hehewuti nodded. “I see. Well, it is,” She looked at her grandson. “Unforgivable, that you were hurt in the first place. So, to try and make it up to you, Alfred here has offered, starting today, to give you a ride home for the rest of the year. And he will apologize to your family today for inconveniencing them and you, isn’t that right, Alfred?” Alfred slowly nodded his head, looking defeated. Arthur tried to convince the woman that it wasn’t necessary, but she wouldn’t listen. “Arthur, you do realize who I am to Alfred, yes?”

"Yes Ma’am, you are the Jones family’s Head Alpha. Matthew explained it to me,"

"Well, then I must tell you that our family takes offenses, such as this one, quite seriously. Our family is old, and we must hold on to our traditions. One of them being that Alphas protect Omegas, not beat them to death,”

"But he didn’t-" Arthur tried to interject, but failed.

“So, Alfred must redeem himself by showing that he understands his place. You can turn him down, but then I will no longer allow him to be an heir to Head of the family. He will lose his top Alpha right. Do you understand?” She looked at him, seriousness showing darkly in eyes.

"…..Yes Ma’am," Arthur nodded and lowered his head, feeling obligated to help Alfred. ‘It was partially my fault as well…’

"Good. Now I believe, Arthur, that you have a meeting with our educational planner today, correct?" Hehewuti smiled at him.

"Yes, in about an hour,"

"Well, he is free right now, so you can go speak to him. I already told him you were coming in early," She guided him up out of his chair and out the door. "He’s two doors down to the left, his name is Mr. Beilschmidt, and he might look tough, but he’s a big softy~" And with that she waved the Omega off and shut the door. "Alfred. I am still very pissed off at you and your behavior today,” She walked back over to her chair, “You were to protect this young man, not attack him,”

"…."

"What is wrong with you?"

"….It’s not me," Alfred finally spoke, throat dry from not speaking.

Hehewuti sighed, “Alfred, I warned you about his scent not match-“

"It’s not his scent!" Alfred yelled, "It’s him in general! One moment he’s acting like a Beta, then the next he thinks he’s an Alpha, and then out of NO WHERE he’s suddenly a real Omega! I- I just can’t keep up with him….." Alfred slumped.

Hehewuti listened to her grandson, eyes closed. “Alfred, I am giving you the easiest way I can think of for you to regain your birthright. Arthur is willing to accept it as well, so don’t take it lightly. I am giving one, only one, chance to prove to me that you understand your role as an Alpha,”

"I thought I proved that with Mattie-"

"You did. But he is your brother. Arthur is an Omega outside of your typical life, so I want you to prove to me that you understand your obligations reach even outside of our family. Do you understand? Or do I have to beat it into you again?" Hehewuti’s voice dripped with venom, knowing full well what her grandson would choose.

"…Yes, Head Alpha, I understand,"

"Good, now you can stay here with me until Arthur gets done with Mr. Beilschmidt, "

Alfred sat in silence until he heard a knock on the door, opening to reveal Arthur, timidly looking away. “I’m ready… whenever you are…” Hehewuti bid them farewell as they left, knowing that they were going to have the most uncomfortable time of their lives on the ride home, and this brought a smile to her face as she drank her coffee.


	6. Of Car Rides and Bonding

Alfred led Arthur out to the parking lot, to a red Pontiac that was parked towards the front of the school. Alfred walked quickly over to the driver’s side and got in, turning on the car. Once Arthur got the seat belt figured out, they were gone. Alfred drove like a madman, dodging other cars and barely making traffic lights. Arthur, in that moment, was more afraid for his life then he was in Home Economics, grabbing onto the sides of the chair and digging his fingers into the pleather. Arthur felt like he was going to be sick. But as the buildings went by, Arthur noticed that he didn’t really recognize any of them. “Um Alfred?” Arthur asked nervously.

"What?" Alfred’s voice was irritated and rough.

"Do you even know where- I LIVE?!" Arthur screamed the last part as Alfred swung a right turn, nearly missing an on-coming car.

"….No…." Alfred muttered. He decided to pull into a shopping center and park, turning to face Arthur once they were still. "So where do you live exactly?"

"In… Gleenwood," Arthur informed him once he got his heart to pace normally. ‘GOOD LORD! Who in their right mind drives like… Well, I guess he isn’t in his right state of mind right now…’ Arthur thought as he recalled what the Principal had said about Alfred losing his right as heir. “So…. I guess I should tell you a bit about my family before we get there….” Arthur tried to offer.

"Why? It’s not like I’m going over to ask permission to bond with you or somethin’. And," He gave Arthur a harsh, cold glare, "Besides seeing you in this car or in class, I don’t want to hear, see, or smell you around me. Ever. Got that?” Arthur nodded slowly, trying to suppress his want of telling the other to “fuck off”. That would just cause them both even more problems, and Arthur was tired of fighting with the hard-headed fool. “So you live in Gleenwood? Alright, that’s on the other side of town,” He looked around. “Yeah, with back tracking, we should be there in about ten minutes,”

Within four minutes, the two boys were parked in front of Arthur’s house. Alfred got out and started to walk up to the house, but stopped when he noticed the Omega wasn’t next to him. He turned around, and had this not been a serious, and embarrassing, trip, Alfred would have probably would have busted out laughing at Arthur’s face: He was white as a ghost and looked like he was about to puke. Alfred sighed and walked back to the car and opened Arthur’s door. “Come on sweetheart, let’s get you inside before you ruin my upholstery,” Alfred teased as lightly as he could. And he got exactly what he was expecting: That death glare and finger that he had somehow grown accustomed to seeing. ‘At least he’s acting normal… I think…’ Alfred shook his head and picked up the other boy, surprising him in the process.

"What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?!” Arthur shouted into Alfred’s ear.

"Calm down babe. I’m just carrying you so you won’t throw up everywhere,” Alfred smirked as he walked up to the house. If there was one thing Alfred loved to do, it was to show off. After the short walk up to the house, Alfred placed Arthur down onto his front porch, and before he could even lift his hand to knock, the door flew open to reveal a short woman with long blonde hair and very familiar green eyes.

“Arthur! My baby, are you alright?! Don’t worry, Mama’s here!” She wrapped her arms around Arthur and pulled him into the house. “Oh dear! What happened to you! You’re paler than usual and all these bruises! Oh, dear go up to your room and I’ll be there in a few minutes!”

"Mum! I’m fine-"

"No! Go to your room and rest!" She demanded, finger pointing to the stairs. Arthur sighed in defeat and looked around for someone to help him, and then his eyes landed on Alfred. Alfred was smirking at the other and mouthing, "Aw, poor baby,” Arthur glared at him. ‘You arse…’ Then an idea came to him and he smiled for a second.

"Sorry, mum, but my leg hurts from this fight…” Arthur started to form crocodile tears, a skill that he had learned over the years to escape punishments when his siblings blamed things on him.

“Fight?! Why was there a fight?!” Mrs. Kirkland let out with a screech.

"I-I don’t know…." Arthur let a tear fall, his mother reacting instantly by hugging her youngest. Arthur smirked up at Alfred, "Maybe dear Alfred here would like to explain what happened,” Arthur smirked at the now sour-looking Alpha.

‘You bitch…’ Alfred thought as Arthur mentioned the ‘fight’.

“‘Alfred’?” Mrs. Kirkland turned around and finally noticed the second boy in the doorway. “Oh my goodness! I-I am so sorry!” She blushed as she noticed the young boy was an Alpha and a very handsome one at that. “I’m so sorry for not introducing myself! My name is Evangeline Kirkland. Oh! And thank you so much for bringing my dear little Arthur home, the poor dear is always getting himself into trouble like this…. Won’t you please come in and have some tea?” She invited him in and told Arthur, despite his ‘injuries’, to go make tea for their guest and for his father that would soon be home while she spoke with Alfred. After preparing the tea, Arthur soon joined them, and as he sat down Mr. Kirkland walked through the front door.

"Dear, I’m home! Oh and you won’t believe- Ah, do we have a guest?" Mr. Kirkland, a man in his late thirties, asked. After he and Alfred introduced themselves to each other, Mr. Kirkland sat down and inquired as to why they "had such a handsome guest at their humble home", or as Arthur heard it, "they were unworthy to have a god of gods amongst them in their impure shack of a home”. Arthur loved his parents, but they put so much value in Alphas. His oldest brother was a true testament to that, with his schooling, amazing job, beautiful Omega wife, and his oversized ego.

"So, Alfred, Arthur had said that there was a fight today," Arthur was pulled out of his thoughts by his mother’s statement. "Do you mind telling us what happened to our poor boy?" Arthur inwardly cackled at the thought of the high and mighty Alfred getting tossed out of their house. He imagined the enraged Alpha leaving and Mrs. Kirkland yelling at the boy. It would have been a dream come true for Arthur. But, alas, not every dream comes true.

"Well, you see, I have to apologize to your family ma’am," Alfred looked sheepishly away, a very unbecoming action of an Alpha.

"Oh dear… What happened?" Mrs. Kirkland became even more concerned.

"Well you see, I’m the one that… beat up Arthur….." Alfred looked away, down at the tea cup in his hands.

‘Oh here it comes!’ Arthur thought in excitement.

"Arthur… what did you do?!"

‘YES! Wait…. What?’ Arthur looked at his mother with a questioning look, only to have the same look, though more fierce, thrown right back at him. His mother wanted to know what he, Arthur Kirkland, had done to make Alfred F. Jones put him in his place. Arthur was shocked, to say the least.

"Wh-what?!"

"You heard me! No proper Alpha like Alfred, would ever hurt an Omega unless the Omega instigated it!"

Arthur looked at his father, who continued to sip his tea in silence, then to Alfred who was actually just as surprised as Arthur was, and finally back to his mother. “I didn’t-“

"You had to have done something outlandish! Now what did you do?"

Arthur, tired, physically and emotionally hurting, and just plain out pissed off, stood up and left the room. A few seconds later, a door could be heard slamming shut throughout the whole house. Mrs. Kirkland slouched back in her chair before remembering they had a guest, “Ah, Alfred. Please excuse my son. He is hard headed and tends to over react to things. I apologize for him, for whatever he had said or done to anger you. And it he-“

"He didn’t really do anything… he just spoke his mind," Alfred blurted out without thinking.

"What?" Mrs. Kirkland looked at the young Alpha in surprise.

Alfred didn’t know how to stop his mouth, but his family’s teachings about “protecting Omegas” came to mind as he thought about how hurt Arthur looked. “Well, I mean, He’s outspoken to begin with… But the fight happened because I brought up his… condition, if that’s what you call it,”

“‘Condition’? Oh, you mean his blood type?” Mr. Kirkland finally spoke up.

"Yeah. I had said something mean about it, and well… I ended up with crepe mix in my face," Alfred chuckled quietly. It was sort of funny to him now, looking back on it. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland gave each other worried looks.

"Alfred, please. I understand that my son is just an Omega, but understand that he doesn’t really fit in with society," Mrs. Kirkland looked at a family picture that was sitting on the coffee table of all of her children, Arthur only being a newborn in it and being held by Scot. "See, ever since he was little, Arthur hasn’t known how to act like a proper Omega. He’s outspoken, hard headed, and very defensive… But he is my youngest and most fragile child, so please," She looked at Alfred in the eyes. He could see her worry and anger started to pool together in them. "Don’t hold this mishap against him,"

Alfred was surprised. ‘They want ME to forgive HIM?’ Alfred didn’t know what to do, so he just nodded his head and smiled. “Of course ma’am,” And with that, Alfred felt that he no longer had a reason to impose upon the family. They said their good byes and as Alfred left, he looked up to one of the three second-story windows. Arthur was staring at him, and maybe it was the glare or his mind playing tricks on him, but Alfred could’ve sworn that the Omega was crying, but before he could get a better look, the boy disappeared behind the curtains.

After Alfred had left Mrs. Kirkland closed the door, an eerie type silence floating through the house. She cleaned up their guest tea cup and saucer before walking over to her husband and patting him on the shoulder. “….I am going to give Scot a call,” Mrs. Kirkland’s voice was quiet but harsh. Her husband nodded in agreement.

As Alfred drove home he kept thinking back to Arthur’s mother and what she had said. ‘I’m surprised she didn’t kick me out or something… I mean even with S.I. groups playing in, he’s still her son…’ Alfred thought about the day as he drove into his family’s long drive way up to his family’s mansion. After his grandmother’s mate had passed for about 3 years, she started to feel lonely, so she invited his family to come live with her in the family mansion. It was large with white pillars in the front, at least 20 rooms split between the four floors, each had an adjourning bathroom, and there was a large pool in the back yard and stables for the horses in the far back. It was his home. And it would stay that way for the res tof his life as long as he played nice with Arthur for the rest of the school year. His grandmother was only principal of his school because: 1: she was bored and 2: so that she could keep a closer eye on him and Mattie. Her real occupation was CEO of a large construction and architectural company, and she had designed and built this large building by herself and her workers. It was her second largest legacy, her first being her family. She really did love her children and grandchildren, and even those that married into the family, she loved them all. She, unlike most female Alphas, actually gave birth to her children instead of having her mate artificially inseminated with someone else’s genes and even took her mate’s last name instead of given him her own. Everyone in the family agreed that was the reason she was so motherly, in spite of being an Alpha.

Alfred walked up to his home’s front steps, admiring all the work the Beta servants had done to keep the front lawn looking perfect. He smiled to himself; at least this was one thing that he could count on to stay the same at the end of such a rollercoaster like day. He walked through the doors as his legs were attacked by a big ball of white and grey fluff. His cat, Hero, always did this, but today he was especially rambunctious due to Alfred being gone longer than usual. The cat mewed and mewed to be fed, so after taking of his shoes and dropping of his bag, Alfred went to the kitchen to feed his cat and himself. “Alright buddy, let’s see what we’ve got here…” Alfred talked to his cat as he opened the refrigerator. He pulled out two hamburgers from the night before when he stopped at McDonalds, giving one to his cat and one for himself. They both ate the heart-attack inducing burgers like they were drinking water, not even caring to chew some parts. Afterwards, Alfred noticed that he hadn’t seen anyone at the house besides the servants, so he went to the second floor to find his brother.

After searching the second, third, and fourth floors, Alfred finally stopped one of the maids and asked if she had seen any of the Jones family members. She informed him that they were all in a meeting that he was supposed to have been informed of, but apparently wasn’t. Alfred freaked out. His grandmother would not be happy for him to screw up twice in one day. So, he sprinted all the way down the flights of stairs to the main office on the first floor, but before he could even knock, Hehewuti opened the door.

"Alfred, how nice of you to join us," She said with an annoyed smile. Alfred tried to apologize, but before he could begin, Hehewuti shut the door behind her, leaving the two of them in the hall. "Now listen to me Alfred," She spoke quietly, almost whispering to him, "I have not told anyone about your trial, so act as if you just forgot about the meeting, alright?"

"B-but I thought-"

"I don’t want your father worrying about you when he is still ill, alright? And besides, this is a Head Alpha matter that doesn’t need to involve any other people. Just accept it,"

Alfred nodded as Hehewuti opened the doors again to allow her and Alfred into the room. The room was set up similar to that of a church. There was Hehewuti’s desk, where a pulpit would typically be, and the rest of the family sat in chairs facing the desk, similar to pews. Everyone was there, his uncles, aunts, cousins, mother, father, and brother, and each one of his uncles and aunts were giving him dirty looks. It wasn’t a secret in the Jones family that half of the Alphas disapproved of Alfred being head one day. They barely accepted his father, as he was the oldest Alpha and oldest child overall, but it was because it was his grandmother’s rule that kept the family from slaughtering each other. Speaking of Alfred’s father, the tension in the room was even thicker than normal due to Mr. Jones’ health. He had been sick for the past couple of months, but he was starting to get better each day, and Alfred was thankful for that. With him failing his grandmother’s random ass trials and his father’s bad health, if something were to happen to his father there was no doubt in Alfred’s mind that Hehewuti would choose another one of her Alpha children to become Heir. Alfred’s head started to hurt from all the possibilities that could happen.

"So, now we will address our final order of business," She turned towards Alfred’s family, "Matthew, would you please come to the front, and present what you have been wanting approval for?" Matthew nodded and walked up to the front of Hehewuti’s desk, all the other family members facing him. He turned to Hehewuti for permission. "Begin,"

"I have c-come to the family for per-permission to…" Matthew’s gaze met Alfred’s. Alfred had no idea what his brother was doing, let alone why he seemed so tense. Everyone in the family loved him, but it was mostly because he didn’t stand in their direct way of being Head Alpha. Matthew cleared his throat, "Permission to be bound to an Alpha from-" That was all Alfred needed to hear to get hot under the collar. His brother, his little brother, was going to be bound and mated. And there was nothing Alfred could do to stop it. He couldn’t believe it. Matthew never even told him he was seeing anyone. Alfred, in a jealous rage, stood up and left, slamming the door behind him. They didn’t need his permission after all; all Matthew really needed was his father’s and grandmother’s permission to be bound to whoever he wanted.

Alfred jumped in his car and drove off. He didn’t want to deal with all these changes, and just thinking about them made him angry enough to punch someone. After driving for a while, Alfred parked his car in the parking lot of a grassy, park like area and walked to edge of a nearby pond. It was getting late, and only a few people were out as it was starting to get dark. Alfred had no clue what time it was once he moved from that spot. He could have been standing there for 10 minutes or 2 hours, he didn’t know and he didn’t care. That day was just too stressful for him. From having Arthur insult him in class, to having to befriend the little pain in the ass, to the confusing AB emotions going on with said pain, then have a bowl and batter thrown at him, to losing his birth right and having to regain it, then to go through that weird conversation with Arthur’s parents, and now Mattie wanted to be bound. It was just too much all in one day for the poor Alpha. Maybe it was because he really was angry at Matthew, or maybe he was just jealous, but Alfred’s thoughts started to drift towards the idea of having a mate.

He honestly tried to find a willing mate. Oh, boy, did he try. But each time, they left him for someone else that wasn’t as strong, or handsome, or intelligent, but apparently was more ‘loving’, as one ex’s of his put it. He really did want a family. He had wanted to start one his sophomore year, once he felt Matthew was ready to make his own choices when dealing with Alphas, because, contrary to popular belief, Matthew had the worst judgment when it came to possible mates. There was one guy, about 20 or so, that kept staring at Matt at a diner one night when they were about 14 years old. Instead of coaxing the Alpha over to him and Alfred, like he was taught to do by his adoptive mother, he walked over to the man and started talking to him. Alfred didn’t see Matthew go over there until he heard Matthew call out to him, and when Alfred had turned around, he saw the man with his hand down Matthew’s pants and whispering something into his brother’s ear that was making him cry. All of Alfred’s red flags went up and before he knew it himself, he had blood on his hands and the guy had a broken arm and pretty messed up face. Alfred sighed at the memory, it was one that later went on to become two of many infamous rumors about him, as somehow the story got split into two. But now, Matthew was asking for the okay to be bound and mated… Alfred started to feel bad for leaving. It wasn’t his brother’s fault really, it was his own. He knew he had some anger problems, and people at school reminded him of that every year when the rumors started to spread again.

Alfred decided to lie on the grass and look at the stars that were out. He loved space. He always had ever since his father left for the moon when he was young. He studied all about the moon and only asked for books on space for every Christmas through his childhood. He really wanted to be an astronomer, but as he got older, he started to want to help people actually on the earth, so he started to study to be a trauma surgeon. But it all wouldn’t be worth it if he didn’t have a family to spend his vacations with or to come home to and have dinner with every night… ‘Why is it so hard just to find someone to actually love you?’ Alfred thought about this question for the last 2 years. Hell, he could probably write a thesis paper on it. He had gone out with so many people, and every single one of them left because he scared them. He didn’t want a crybaby that would depend on him for every single little thing, but that’s how all the Omegas he went out with acted. And the Betas too, but those were doomed to fail from the beginning. Alfred continued to wallow in his own self misery and loneliness until he realized that it was starting to get cold, and he had left his favorite jacket at home.

Sighing to himself, he sat up and looked around. The place was completely deserted. Alfred got up and brushed off the grass sticking to his pants, but he stopped once he heard someone walking towards him. He brushed it off as nothing, after all, weird people came to the park late at night and Alfred could handle any pathetic bottom feeders that bothered him. He rubbed his temples as he started to walk towards the parking lot, getting his keys out of his pocket. He was so busy trying to think of how he was going to apologize to his family, he didn’t see a man about his size walking up to him.

"I take it you be Alfred F. Jones, Aye?"

Alfred looked up to see a man’s silhouette under the street lamp. “Who’s asking?” Alfred called back. The man started to walk closer the boy, his green eyes shone bright and dangerous, red hair blown back and forth with the wind. Once Alfred was able to make out the man’s features, he noticed something vaguely familiar about him. Then he realized where he had seen him: In a picture at the Kirkland’s house.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Allistor Kirkland, but my friends call me Scot. You however, you can call me Mr. Kirkland," He lit a cigarette that he obtained from his pocket.

"You’re related to Arthur?" Alfred asked, standing his ground and not knowing if this man came in peace or not. His scent was masked by the smoke of the cigarette and Alfred couldn’t tell even his own scent.

"Aye," He blow out some smoke from his mouth, "He be my wee baby brother,"

"So why are you here talking to me?"

"Well, Mr. Jones, it appears that you and me brother had quite the tussle today," He took a long drag. "And when it comes to Omegas, such as me babe brother, it is the duty of an Alpha to protect them,"

Alfred didn’t like where this was going. The scent might have hidden the man’s scent before, but now being used to the smell, Alfred could tell this man was not here to talk about the weather. “So I’ve heard. But why are you here?”

Allistor took one more long drag before dropping the cig to the ground and stepping on it. “Well, Alfred, I believe the issue of you hurting Arthur, no matter how much him and I don’t see eye to eye, is a matter that should be settled with our family’s Head Alpha,”

Alfred swallowed. He knew where this was going, and he should’ve run, but his instincts told him to stand and fight, so he stood there before asking, “So who is the Kirkland family’s Head Alpha?”

Allistor smiled viciously at the young Alpha. “Well, Alfie boy, you’re staring at ‘im,”


	7. Of Fights and Nicknames

"Well, Alfie boy, you’re staring at ‘im,”

To say that Alfred was scared was an understatement. To say he was surprised, however, was an over statement. He had been prepared to face off another Alpha for his actions. His grandmother had taught him that at a young age with consent sparring and punishments. He was ready to fight, and he would stand his ground until the other Alpha knocked him off his feet, if Scot was able to. “So does that mean you’re here for revenge or something? ‘Cuz I’m ready whenever you are,” Alfred shot the other a cocky grin.

Allistor stared at the other, head high, eyes staring down at the boy, indifference clear on his face. Then he smirked, “Naw, I won’t fight ye,”

Alfred was shocked. ‘What is wrong with this family?!’ He couldn’t believe it. “What?! Why not?!”

Scot lifted an eye brow, “What? You actually want to fight me”

"N-no! I just…." Alfred looked away, a bit embarrassed. "I just… ARRGH!" He grabbed his head and yelled to the sky.

Scot stood there, letting the younger Alpha let out his frustrations in the open air. “Are you right in the head, boy?”

Alfred looked at the red head, “I’m fine! It’s you and your brother that aren’t ‘right in the head’! What is it with you two?!”

"What are ye talkin’ about?"

“You and your brother! That’s what I’m talking about! You come up to me acting intimidating and letting off a hostile scent! And then you act as if everything’s alright in the world! And your brother! My god! What is wrong with him?! Yeah, he’s an AB Omega, but so what?! He’s still an Omega! He should act like one! Not an Alpha or a Beta! AN OMEGA! But he obviously doesn’t understand that! God, why is he so hard headed?!” Alfred panted as he ended his rant. He looked Scot, expecting a glare and killer grin for insulting the Kirkland family. But all he found was a man that snickering at him. “What’s so fucking funny?!”

Scot looked at Alfred, smiling, “You are lad,” He chuckled a bit longer before calming down, “You call my brother ‘hard-headed’, but you’re just as hard headed as he is, aren’t you?” Alfred looked at him, processing what the man had just said; he wanted to deny it, but he knew it was true. Scot walked towards Alfred before leaning his back against the teen’s car. “Yeah, Artie’s a difficult one. He’s stubborn, irritatin’, and heaven knows that he doesn’t control his temper. Too many times I have had to put him in his place, having to show him who’s in charge,” Scot pulled out another cigarette, lighting it and taking a long drag.

Alfred stared at him, not sure of what to do or say. After a few moments of silence, Alfred finally spoke up, “So then why aren’t you attacking me for hurting your brother?”

Scot didn’t look at him, but took another drag before speaking, “Arthur…. Well, he’s a different then most Omegas, that should go without sayin’ at this point, but there is one thing that he has never grasped. He has never understood the term ‘submit’. He can’t give up when he feels justified to defend himself or someone else,” He looked at Alfred now, green eyes boring holes into Alfred’s cerulean ones. “He doesn’t back down. He will fight for what he believes, and he will not conform to make others happy. Trust me, our mum cried every time Arthur came home in cuts and bruises because he got into a fight with an Alpha,”

The two stared at each other for a bit, Alfred thinking back to Arthur’s speech in history class. ‘So he’s always been like that… I’m not surprised, but he looked-‘

"I’m surprised you actually made him cry," Scot cut off Alfred’s thought.

Alfred was shocked, ‘How did he know about that?!’ Alfred felt the fear coming back to him for some reason. Then he thought back to the man that made Matthew cry. 'Shit…. Karma's a bitch…' He felt his muscles tense up in instinct, preparing for a fight.

"Yeah, when I got to the house, Arthur was crying like a babe up in his room," He took one more breath of the smoke before tossing it to the ground and putting it out with his shoe.

Alfred calmed down. ‘Oh, that was what he was talking about… wait. I made him cry?’ Alfred gave him a questioning look, “What are you talking about? I didn’t make-“

"Of course you did. Who else would’ve? Mums yelled at him, the twins nearly broke his arm, and even I have locked him outside in the snow, but never once has he ever cried. So you’re the only one that could’ve done it," Scot stood straight, taking a few steps away from the car towards Alfred. He stopped when he was inches away from the other, "So for that reason, I have to apologize to ye,"

"Ah, your mom already-"

Before Alfred could finish, his world went spinning. When Alfred opened his eyes, his face and ass hurt like hell. He looked up and everything finally came together. Allistor Kirkland just punched him in the face! “Wha- What the fuck man?! I thought you didn’t want to fight!”

Scot stuck his hands in his coat pockets and looked down at the other. “I don’t. But I never said I didn’t want to punch you,” He squatted down so he was level with the boy. “See, my mum called me earlier and told me some Alpha beat me wee babe brother and that he was cryin’. Now, if there’s one thing I don’t like when it comes to babe Arthur, it’s when other people make him cry. That’s my job,” Allistor stood up. “Well, Alfie boy, I best be going. I have to get back to my family and check up on that brat o’ brother of mine. Oh and I hope ye have an idea of making up for this incident,” And with that, Allistor ‘Scot’ Kirkland left Alfred under the light of the street lamp of the park.

Alfred sat there in the parking lot, trying to comprehend everything that just happened. After a while, he finally got up and dusted himself off, walking back to his car. Getting in he looked at the review mirror and saw that his left cheek was already swollen and right below his eye was bruising. ‘That’s gonna take some explaining…’ Alfred sighed in frustration, he was tired and just wanted to sleep. 'But if I go home now, there's no way I'll be getting to sleep… Grandma's gonna rip me a new one for leaving in the middle of the meeting, and then she'd be pissed to know I let someone punch a Jones family heir… god what now?'

After a while, the young Alpha picked up his phone that he had left on the passenger seat. ‘Holy…. How many people did she get to call me?!’ Alfred couldn’t believe that he had 55 missed calls and 72 text messages all from members of his family, but most were from Matthew and his parents. He decided that his grandmother would probably call the police soon, if she already hadn’t, so he went and texted Matthew back.

To: Mattie

From: Alfred

Yeah, I’m fine. I’m going to stay at a friend’s house tonight. I guess I’ll see you and I’ll deal with the Family Head tomorrow at school.

After sending the text, Alfred started to think of who he could stay with. ‘Kiku won’t do, it’s too late at night…. Neither will Francis, he probably knows what happened by now and will ask questions…. Maybe Toris will put me up for tonight. Yeah, I’ll ask him,’ Alfred grabbed his phone again and made a phone call to his Beta friend Toris. Toris was a timid Beta, but he worked hard and seemed to get along with Alfred the best out of all his friends. And he had proven himself once again by giving Alfred the ‘Okay’ to come over even though his parent were away on vacation.

Alfred arrived at Toris’ house at 10 at night, but the Beta didn’t ask anything except if the Alpha needed a shower and some clothes. Alfred nodded and went straight to the bathroom. Toris’ parents worked for Hehewuti for the past 20 years as her secretary and head accountant, so Alfred, Matthew, and Toris all grew up together. Toris’ family’s home was Alfred’s home away from home and they were always open to letting him stay with them, no matter how short notice or how many times he ran there when he had problems at home. He even left some clothes there just in case he spontaneously choose to stay with them. After his shower, Alfred was dressed and crawling into bed in the guest bedroom which had become his own make shift bedroom throughout the years. Soon, he was drifting off into a dreamless state, nothing but black and darkness enveloping where his dreams should’ve been. But he had grown accustomed to hopeless sleep a long time ago.

A gentle knock on the door brought Alfred to a room full of dawn breaking light. Toris quietly opened the door and smiled at the Alpha boy. “Good morning Alfred. Did you sleep well?” Toris smiled brightly, bringing in a tray of pancakes, bacon, and eggs with a mug of coffee. “I brought you breakfast,” Toris slid the tray onto Alfred’s lap once he sat up, leaning back onto the headboard of the bed. He stared at the wonderfully perfect breakfast before trying to pick up the coffee mug, only to spill it all over his lap. Now it was a well-known fact, within his circle of family and friends, that Alfred F. Jones was not a morning person. He was a morning zombie. But when that hot liquid started to soak through to his nether regions, he became wide awake and rearing to go.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Alfred lumped out of the bed, Toris being smart enough to grab the platter before Alfred kicked it across the room in his fit. Alfred ran to the bathroom and quickly turned on the shower to cold, jumping in fully clothed, trying to sooth his burned appendages. Toris sighed. Once again it was a noisy morning for him, just like every morning Alfred stayed with him. He didn’t mind it, really he didn’t. He enjoyed being around the Jones boy and his brother, but within the past few years Alfred just seemed much less cheery than he used to be, and it made the young Lithuanian boy sad to think of how his friend had changed. He used to read comic books and tell Toris that he would save people’s lives one day, but now he only studied text books (which wasn’t a bad thing) and even showing up to his house with a bruised and beaten face. But that was who Alfred had become, and Toris tried to look pass it to see the friend that he once knew.

Getting out of the shower and wringing out his wet clothes and throwing them in the hamper, Alfred wrapped a towel around his waist and walked back into the bedroom. Toris was gone, but he left clothes out for him. It was weird, but Alfred just assumed it was a Beta thing to be so organized and prepared. Alfred got ready, but felt his stomach growl as he thought about the breakfast he didn’t get to eat.

Toris was down stairs in the kitchen when he heard footsteps running down the stairs, coming towards him. “Your breakfast’s in the microwave,” Toris stated as Alfred came running into the room. If there was one thing that Toris was pretty sure would never change in Alfred, no matter how many years went by, it was the fact that the boy would always have a massive appetite. Toris smiled as Alfred grabbed the plate and swallowed down the food. Yes, it was mornings like this that made Toris remember that Alfred was still Alfred.

After an hour of talking and getting ready, Alfred bid Toris farewell as he left to go pick up Arthur. He honestly didn’t want to face the Omega after all that had happened the day and night before, but he had a promise to keep. Alfred was soon parked in front of the Kirkland house and walking up to knock on the door. ‘Please don’t let it be Scot. Please don’t let it be Scot,’ Alfred chanted to himself. Then the door opened and there stood Mrs. Kirkland. She looked surprised to see him.

"Oh my goodness Alfred! What happened to you?!"

Alfred felt his eye twitch. It was one thing to put on a mask as to your true feelings, but he knew that she knew damn well what ‘happened to his face’. “I think you already know the answer to that Mrs. Kirkland. Scot told me that you called him yesterday after I left,” Alfred glared down at the older woman. Then he witnessed a drastic change in the woman. Her big concerned eyes turned dark and half-lidded, anger burning in them, and her pouting lips soon turned pursed and pale. That was when Alfred learned where Arthur got his ability to glare from.

"So are you here to patronize me for protecting my child?" She asked gravely, both anger and fear showing in her voice.

"I wish it was that simple. I’m here to pick Arthur up, I have to take him to and from school for the rest of the year," He watched as her expression once again transformed, but this time into one of surprise. "It’s the punishment that was given to me for starting that fight with him," Alfred explained coolly.

"Well, you just missed him then. He started walking to the school about 10 minutes ago," She stated just as calmly as Alfred. Alfred nodded as he walked back to his car, Mrs. Kirkland watching him as he drove away. "Kids these days… I’ll never understand them," Mrs. Kirkland mused to herself as she closed the front door.

As Alfred drove down the road, he kept a look out for the shorter blonde. He pictured the blonde walking along the sidewalk… and then he pictured the blonde walking along the sidewalk in a skirt. ‘What the fuck is wrong with me?!’ Alfred mentally screamed at himself as the car swerved, almost hitting the oncoming traffic. Just as Alfred got the disturbing mental image out of his head, he saw the same crop of blonde hair that was just in his mind. Pulling over quickly a few feet in front of Arthur, Alfred rolled down his window and waited for the other to pass.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing, Alfred?!"

Alfred looked back to see Arthur clutching his chest and hyperventilating. “What’s wrong, babe? A fast car a little too much for ya?” Alfred teased. Arthur scowled at him and walked towards the car, only to stop a few feet adjacent to the driver side window. He glared at Alfred and flipped him off, saying that he would walk to school himself. But Alfred couldn’t have that! Oh no, for if his grandmother saw that Arthur wasn’t brought to school by Alfred, then the Alpha teen would have hell to pay. Foreseeing his horrible fate, Alfred drove next to Arthur for 4 blocks until the Brit came to a halt.

"Alfred, why are you following me like this? And what the hell is wrong with your face?"

"I’d rather not talk about it. And I’m following you so my Head Alpha can see that at least I’m trying to do what she said so I don’t lose my birthright. Didn’t we go over this yesterday?"

"Ok, I’ll tell you what. If I get in the car with you will you do two things for me?"

"Depends on the two things sweet cheeks,”

Arthur flushed at the new, stupid nickname Alfred just used. “One: Stop calling me babe, sweetheart, and sweet cheeks. And two: Don’t drive like a maniac, or else I will throw up in your car,”

Alfred smirked at the other boy, “I’ll try, how’s that?”

"No, you’ll do it, or I won’t get in that death trap,"

"Hey! She’s not a death trap!"

"You make it one with the way you drive,"

Alfred glared at the other, “Fine. I’ll drive slow for little Artie. Now get in,”

Arthur started to walked over when Alfred said ‘Fine’ but instantly stopped when he heard the new nickname. “Wh-what did you just call me?!”

"I called you ‘Artie’, Artie. You said not to call you ‘Babe, sweetheart, or Sweet cheeks’, but you never said anything about other nicknames,” Alfred smirked in victory as Arthur blushed (in embarrassment or anger, Alfred didn’t care). Arthur, after a few moments of seeming to fight with himself, walked over to the passenger side of the car and got in.

After arriving to the school, Arthur instantly got out and walked away from the car. Alfred really didn’t get it, but he didn’t have time to worry about that, he had bigger problems to deal with. Like avoiding his grandmother and Matthew. Hehewuti would be easy to avoid as long as she doesn’t go looking for him herself, but Matthew was a different story. Alfred could avoid him for most of the day, but he might have to ditch AP Literature just to avoid the questioning that would come. Alfred checked his phone for the first time that morning and, thankfully, there were only two text messages and one call. Both the text messages and the call were all from Matthew.

To: Alfred

From: Mattie

Don’t worry about mom, dad, or grandma. They won’t be angry, I promise. Please come home Alfred. I really need to talk to you about everything that’s been happening, so please come home.

Sent: Yesterday, 10:42 pm

To: Alfred

From: Mattie

I guess this means you don’t have your phone on you. Just please be safe Alfred, I really want to talk to you so I guess I’ll see you tomorrow in class. :) Have a good night.

Sent: Yesterday, 11:31 pm

‘Yeah,’ Alfred thought to himself, ‘I’ll definitely ditch 5th period,’ Alfred got out of his car and locked it, but he couldn’t help but look at himself in the reflection of the car window. He looked like shit. His face was bruised on his cheek and he had a partially black eye to where the bruise had spread, his hair was all messed up, and he looked like he hadn’t slept for the past few days. Alfred decided to at least fix his hair, so he got back in his car and pulled out his emergency comb (kept in the car just in case he had a surprise date) to fix his hair before facing all the questions that would come from his friends.

Arthur was furious. He hated that nickname more than anything. His siblings always called him that whenever they mocked and teased him. Before Arthur could get any further in his malice filled thoughts, the bell rang, and thus began his school day.

All of Arthur’s classes flew by in a blink of an eye, and before he knew it, he was in AP Literature with Kiku and Matthew. “Arthur, have you seen Alfred today?” Matthew sounded concerned, but Arthur didn’t think anything of it. But he definitely didn’t want anyone knowing the deal Alfred had set up with the principal, and it seemed that not even Matthew knew about it.

"Yes, this morning in class, but I haven’t seen him since. Why?"

"Oh, i-its nothing…." Matthew averted his eyes. "But after class there’s something I want to ask you," Arthur nodded.

After class Arthur turned to the quiet Omega, “So Matthew, you wanted to ask me something?”

"Ah, yes. But I’d rather ta-talk about it somewhere a li-little more quiet…" He looked around, motioning to how crowded the class was.

Arthur understood, but it made him all the more curious. Matthew led them to the library, going to a section where no one ever really went to: References. “I don’t mean to offend you, Matthew, but what is so important that you had to bring me all the way here?” Arthur asked once they arrived.

Matthew started to look nervous. “Arthur, Alfred di-didn’t come home last night…. And I just feel like I-I’m the reason why, and I feel ter-terrible,” He looked like he was about to cry. Arthur didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but he was curious as to what happened, so he encouraged Matthew to continue.

"What happened?"

Matthew looked Arthur in the eyes. “I…. well there was a family me-meeting yesterday and….” Matthew was now crying, and Arthur had no clue as to why.

"Did Alfred hurt someone?" Arthur was surprised at his own question, no knowing where it had come from.

"NO! I-I mean…" Matthew wiped his eyes before continuing. "There was a fa-family meeting and I didn’t talk to him about it, I didn’t tell anyone about it, it just had to be asked or else we’d never be able to do it, but Grandmother was fine with it, but Alfred obviously wasn’t because he stormed out in the middle of the meeting, and then dad got worried and none of got to sleep and everyone was worried and-"

"Whoa, Matthew. Clam down, I don’t have the slightest clue as to what you’re talking about," Arthur tried to calm the ranting boy. Matthew looked at him, face being serious and slightly scared.

"I’m sorry. It’s just Alfred seemed so angry and…. I-I’m sorry…"

"For what? Matthew, what happened? Why was Alfred so angry?" Arthur became concerned about the Alpha boy. ‘Did he get disowned?! Is it because of something I did?’

Matthew looked at Arthur again and weakly smiled, “I’m going to be bounded, Arthur. In a few months, I’m going to be married,”


	8. Of Concerts and Drunks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW material can be found in this chapter

Arthur didn’t know what to say. Matthew was going to be bound. And that meant….. ‘I’ll be the only unbound Omega in the senior class….’ Arthur looked down at the floor. He didn’t know what to do. He could have gotten mad at Matthew, but why? It wasn’t Matthew’s fault that Arthur wasn’t bound, and being bound to a mate was something to celebrate. So Arthur sucked it up and smiled at the still tearful boy. “Oh Matthew, Congratulations! That’s great news, no matter what your brother says! Don’t worry, I’m sure Alfred will come around eventually if you just talk to him,”

Matthew’s smile brightened, “Thank you Arthur. He really is great guy and I-“

“And you can tell everybody this is your song

It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done

I hope you don’t-“

Matthew jumped as his phone started to ring, grabbing it quickly to silence it. “Oh god…. Arthur, I’m sorry but I have to get this and-“

Arthur just smiled and nodded, “Go ahead. I have to get to class soon anyway,” Matthew nodded and then ran to a door leading outside. As he left, Arthur let his mask fall; a frown now plagued his features. ‘Being bound, huh?’ Arthur hated admitting it, even to himself, but he knew how much he wanted to be bound to someone. Growing up, Arthur had gone to quite a few bonding ceremonies, or marriage ceremonies depending how you would like to refer to them. His father’s younger Omega brother bonding, his brother’s, his sister’s, even his creepy AB Alpha cousin’s bonding ceremony to a dictionary-definition of an Omega. He had gone to all of them, and every time, it seemed fewer and fewer single Omegas remained, to the point where Arthur was the only one of age without a mate. And he hated it. He hated being alone. He hated not being loved by a mate. And most of all: He hated all the looks that people gave him.

The comments varied, and the gossip was hot at every family gathering. See, the Kirkland family’s last Head Alpha was Arthur’s Great-Grandfather, and with no children or grandchildren to pass the title onto, the Kirkland Family broke off from each other and began anew. Whether it be by marrying into another family with a head, or having an Alpha child, like his own immediate family had, the “Kirkland” line had spread wide and thin. So the only time the family really got together was during important events such as bonding ceremonies. And that caused people to only take note of other family members according to who stood out by having a new mate, or still the lack thereof.

Arthur started to walk to Home Economics as he thought about the topic some more. There had been a time when Arthur had honestly thought of just becoming some older Alpha’s secondary mate. Secondary mates were like primary mates: The Alpha cared for them, gave them a home, mated with them, and they bore children for the Alpha. But the Alpha would rarely be home, leaving the Omega to care for the children by themselves. Arthur had thought it was a brilliant idea for a long time, and even looked into finding interested Alphas on the internet. However, after a while, he realized that he didn’t want to be a back-up toy for some pious Alpha that would only show up to fuck and name their children when they were born. Call him a romanticist, but Arthur wanted to be loved and adored, not fucked and then left. He was already alone enough as it was.

Soon, Arthur arrived at his class, and he noticed that Alfred had actually showed up to the class. He was going to ask the Jones boy why he wasn’t in the last class, but then he remembered Alfred’s words about not wanting to have any contact with Arthur outside of car rides. So instead , the Omega went to his desk and began to speak with Feliciano, which Arthur took even more notice of the boy’s bonding bracelet. It was silver with a single dark blue gem that was cut to resemble what looked like some sort of thick cross dangling from it. Bonding bracelets were similar to wedding rings, something that Arthur remembered from a book that was about people before the Great Death’s lifestyles and tradtions. Apparently the humans of that time only had one mate and used these rings to signify being mated to another person. Before Arthur’s thoughts could go on another tangent about bonding, Mr. Edelstein called to start class.

…

The next few days passed, and it was now Friday, the day before the weekend school break. The past few days had passed with no more surprises, Arthur was starting to adjust to his new “friends”, and Alfred didn’t seem as pissed as he had the first and second days of classes. Apparently, according to Matthew, Alfred had gone home the day that Matthew had told Arthur the news about his bonding, and Matthew and his parents had talked to Alfred and everything was ironed out. Arthur was currently in the library, reading a book about ancient people that were ancient to even those who lived right before the Great Death. ‘I wish I could read some of these plays… they sound interesting. As does their author Shakespeare,’ While in the middle of reading, Arthur heard someone pull out the chair across the table from him.

"Aw, if it isn’t the sweet, petite Arthur Kirkland,"

Arthur looked up with his best scowl. “What do you want Frog?” He seethed. Francis had been at the library for the past few days, hanging around his mate as she worked. But lately, he was bored and wanted to talk to someone new.

"Ah, Arthur, mon ami, must you be so harsh to me? You do wound my heart," He dramatically flun his arm back to rest on his forehead as he leaned back in the chair.

Arthur smirked as he continued to look in his book, “If only I could physically wound it, then maybe I wouldn’t have to deal with your noisy mouth all the time,”

Francis rolled his eyes in annoyance, but soon changed his attitude and smiled as he waved Matthew over who had switched from bring an office aid to a library aid just the day before. “Mathieu , are you going to come tomorrow?” Arthur decided it would be best to just read his book instead of jumping into whatever they were talking about, until Francis pulled him into it. “What about you Arthur, are you coming?”

Arthur looked at the two, irritation in his eyes, “‘Coming’? Coming to what exactly?”

Francis pouted, “Aw, were you not listening, mon ami?”

"More like I was trying to block your obnoxiously irritating voice out,"

Matthew decided to intervene before the two started to fight, “We were talking about a concert! Francis is part of a popular band from Europe, and they’re performing tomorrow night at a local club. You should come Arthur, it will very fun and-“

"Not interested,"

The Frenchman and the Canadian-American looked at each other, surprised and a little hurt. “Ah, but Arthur, you do not even know what kind of music we play,” Francis tried to persuade the younger.

"I don’t care," Arthur continued to try and read his book. Arthur had gone to many concerts before, but every time, the loneliness made the experience frustrating with drunk Betas and Alphas trying to get into his pants and no one there but himself to beat them up. Not that he minded beating up people that came onto him.

"Arthur, come on. Everyone is going to be there: Kiku, Feliciano, Feliciano’s mate, and my fiancée will be there also!" Matthew giggled with excitement.

Arthur looked up in aggravation, “Look. Out of all those names, Kiku’s the only one that’s not going to be connected at the hip with someone, and I don’t feel like going to a concert alone. Do you understand?”

Matthew started to mentally shrink down from the other Omega. He didn’t like it when he offended people, and from Arthur’s reaction, he apparently had. Seeing this, Francis spoke up, “Oh, no. You won’t be the only one,” Looking suspiciously at the blonde with his nose in the book, he got an idea. “Oh well, if you don’t wish to come then so be it. But I would like someone to drink with after the show, “

Matthew saw a red flag in this comment and leaned over quickly to whisper in Francis’ ear, “He’s underage! What are you thinking?” Francis just shushed him.

"Go on," Arthur hadn’t looked up from his book, but he was apparently listening in.

Francis gave a thumbs up to his cousin. “Oh yes. There will be scotch, whiskey, beer, wine…. You name it and we’ll have it! It’s too bad you’re not interested in coming, but oh well…”

Arthur closed his book slowly before looking up at the two. “If you’re trying to entice me with alcohol, then your music must really be shitty,” He then smirked, “So I’ll show up to drink your booze, but then I’m leaving,” And with that, Arthur stood up and went to return his book.

Francis looked at Matthew and grinned, “See? What did I-” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Arthur walking quickly over to them with a light blush on his cheeks.

"Um…. Where is this club exactly?" He asked sheepishly.

Matthew smiled, “I’ll pick you up at 5 tomorrow from your house, how’s that?” Arthur nodded and then left again.

…

Arthur didn’t know why he didn’t think of it. Most Omegas don’t have driver’s license, so why would Matthew? But when Matthew offered to pick him up, Arthur pictured Matthew and him going to the concert. He did not think of Alfred going also, more or less driving them there. But there they were, in the brothers’ Mustang, going to a club that Arthur had never before heard of, with Alfred driving, Matthew in the front passenger seat, and Arthur in the back. And to top off the awkwardness that was already there, it was silent. No one said a word, no one looked at each other, and Arthur felt uneasy. He could smell the tension between the two brothers, and it smelt like Alfred wanted to kill someone, and Arthur didn’t even have to guess at who that might be.

Speaking of Matthew’s mystery mate, Arthur was going to inquire about him but as he opened his mouth, Alfred cut in, “We’re here,” The club was fairly large with a neon sign that said “Shinin’ Star”, with a bouncer in the front with a velvet rope and a line waiting to get in. But apparently, Alfred’s motto of the night was “Fuck the lines”, as he went straight up to the bouncer and the big man with dreadlocks let all three of them in, but not without giving Alfred a dirty glare. As they walked through the hallways to the main room of lasers and thumping woofers with a stage set up for both DJs and bands, Matthew handed Arthur a lanyard with a card attached to it.

"What’s this for?"

"Ah, that’s just a pass to get to the backstage. Our group is meeting in the dressing room back there, so just follow Alfred," Matthew informed him as he walked away.

"Wait! What about you?" Arthur shouted over the music, but Matthew had already gone too far for him to hear. Giving up, Arthur turned around to follow Alfred, except, the Alpha was nowhere to be found. Panicking, Arthur looked around for the blonde, but he eluded his sight. Arthur then remembered about everyone meeting backstage as he caught sight of two security guards on the right side of the elaborate stage.

After being shoved, bumped, and stepped on, Arthur had made it through the dance floor and to where the two guards stood. One of them was about as tall as Alfred with brown hair that had a ridiculously long cowlick and a band aid across his nose. The other… well all Arthur could see of second guard was his brown hair and a mask. Both guards looked down at the blonde and smiled. The first guard put his arm against the wall next to Arthur, bringing their faces close together. “Sorry chickie babe, but we’re on the job. If you want to meet us after work we can probably work you in for some fun,” He turned to the other guard, “What do ya think, Sadiq?” The other man smirked and nodded.

‘Here we go again…’ Arthur frowned, “I actually have a backstage pass, and I need to get to the main dressing room,” The guard looked at him a bit before looking at the pass.

"Well, what do you know?" He smiled and stood up straight, taking a step to his left and used his arm to open one of the double entry doors. "Here ya go," Arthur nodded in silent thanks before walking through the doors into yet another hallway, but this time with various doors on each side.

‘Now which door…. Oh that sounds like Matthew,’ Arthur decided to peak into one room that the door was ajar, and what he witnessed shocked him.

There was Matthew, but there was only one other person in the room with him. The second man had Matthew up on the make-up dresser and had the boy’s shirt off, pressing him up against the mirror. Matthew’s voice was only mumbles and the occasional moan as the other man kissed him and played with his nipples. “Ah n-not now…. Hah… you have to go out on s-stage so-soon! AH!” Matthew moaned as the other licked his neck. Arthur was shocked. It looked like they were about to mate right there in the room! Then it struck him. ‘This must be Matthew’s fiancé… but, what’s up with his hair?’ The next thing Arthur knew, he heard a shriek, a thump, and then he was staring at blood red eyes.

"And who the fuck are you?!" The man yelled as he pinned Arthur against the wall across from the door. The man was taller than Arthur with snow white hair and burning red eyes, his canines looked sharp and his Alpha scent was that of a territorial bear. Arthur flinched as his back hit the wall, groaning at the pain.

"Gilbert! Stop it!" The white haired man turned his head to look at the door, giving Arthur a fair view as well. Matthew now had his shirt back on and was standing there with a frown and furrowed brow, showing his concern. "That’s Arthur! The boy that Francis and I were telling you about. Now let him go!" By this time, Matthew was pulling Gilbert off of Arthur. "Arthur, I thought you were with Alfred…."

"I was, until you left. He disappeared or something…." Arthur rubbed his shoulder that Gilbert had grabbed to push him. "Sorry, if I… interrupted or something…" Arthur blushed at the thought of what the two had just been caught doing.

Matthew’s face turned bright red at the recollection. “NO! I-I mean… no, you didn’t. Actually, G-Gilbert here has to go get re-ready anyway,”

"Hey I was getting ready!" Gilbert defended. "I was just doing some throat exercises. Right, Birdie?” Gilbert winked at the violet-eyed blonde, causing his face to redden even more.

"That’s not what I meant!" Matthew shouted back. "I’m going to take Arthur to the main waiting room. You," He walked up and gentle poked Gilbert in the chest, "Go get ready. You’re going to be going on stage in a few minutes and you want to sound good. Good luck," And with that Matthew kissed his fiancée and grabbed Arthur’s hand, leading him down the hall.

"Like I need it! Kesesesese!" Gilbert called back.

Later, as the two Omegas walked to the main waiting room, Matthew stopped and turned towards Arthur. “Hey, Ar-Arthur… Could you pl-please not tell Al about what you saw back there?” Matthew asked as he fidgeted with his hands. “Alfred’s still not… ‘Okay’ with the whole ma-mating thing…”

"Oh, yes. I won’t tell him anything," Arthur gave Matthew a gentle smile. Matthew returned the smile, turning to his right to face a door.

"Here we are, the main w-waiting room. We’ll be in here be-before and after the concert. And as Francis pr-promised," He opened the door to reveal several people, two couches that were facing each other with a coffee table in the middle of them, a huge flat screen TV, and a refreshments table covered with snacks and booze. "Wine, Beer, Whiskey… you name it, it’ll be th-there,"

"Arthur! You came too?" Arthur was instantly face-to-face with familiar hazelnut brown eyes and a big smile.

"Hello Feliciano," Arthur smiled back at the shorter boy. Looking around the room, Arthur noticed a couple people he didn’t recognize. There was Alfred and Kiku talking to a blonde haired muscular looking young Alpha, and Francis was over by the table talking to a tan skinned Alpha with green eyes and dark brown hair.

"Oh! You have to meet my husband, Ludwig!" Feliciano grabbed Arthur’s arm and dragged him over to the couch which Kiku, Alfred, and the stranger were sitting at. He sat Arthur down next to Kiku and proceeded to walk over and sit next to the blonde man sitting across from them, nuzzling into the man’s arm. The Alpha looked down at the boy and lifted an eyebrow.

"What is it Feli?" The man was German, Arthur took note. His accent sounded similar to the albino he met earlier.

‘Maybe they’re friends or something? Family, perhaps?’

"Oh, Ludwig, I want you to meet Arthur!" Feliciano gestured to the blonde Omega. "He the new Omega I told you about!" He giggled then turned to face Arthur, "Arthur, this is my husband, Ludwig,"

The man smiled softly, as if he was afraid of hurting himself by smiling to wide. “It’s nice to meet you Arthur,”

Arthur nodded and smiled as well, “And the same to you Ludwig,”

"Well, since we are all doing introductions, Arthur why don’t you meet Antonio?" Francis came up behind Feliciano and put his hands on the headrest of the couch. The tan man popped up next to Francis, with a big goofy grin on his face.

"Hola! So you are Arthur, si?" He walked over and grabbed Arthur’s hand shaking it lightly, "My, what beautiful little Omega you’ve brought with you Matthew!" He opened his green eyes to meet Arthur’s own. "And still single hmm? How strange, are you-"

Arthur stood up, pulled his hand out of the Spaniard’s and walked over to the refreshment table. “So you said there’d be scotch. Where is it frog face?” Arthur turned part way to look at Francis. Francis looked a little shocked before pointing out a half empty bottle on the table.

Antonio looked over at the others, “What did I say?”

Alfred sighed and rubbed his temples. ‘How much of pain in the ass can one Omega be?’ He turned his attention over to Antonio, “Don’t worry about it. He’s just pissy at the fact that no one wants to be his mate,”

THUD.

Everyone turned their heads to look at Arthur. Or more specifically, look at what was in his hand: A now empty Scotch bottle. ‘How does someone drink that fast?!’ Everyone thought in unison. Arthur then went for another bottle, then another, then another, until he had finished off another bottle of Scotch, five shots of Bourbon, and two beer bottles. The concert had already begun, but Arthur opted to stay in the room, and Alfred and Kiku were put in charge of watching him. He ranted to the two about annoying people and even ranted about Alfred to Alfred, which apparently took everything the Alpha had not to attack Arthur again. Arthur was just about to go for the Jack Daniels when he felt the room spin, and the next thing he knew, he was staring at the ceiling with Alfred and Kiku staring down at him. He could hear them, but their voices sounded far away.

"I think Kirkland-san should be taken home,"

"Yeah, I guess you’re right… You want to do it?"

"I came with Ludwig and Feliciano,"

"Well then I guess he can just stay down there on the floor then,"

"Alfred…."

"What?"

"I think you should take him home. He doesn’t look good,"

"What?! Why me?!"

"Because I believe you were the one that brought him, correct?"

"Yeah, but…"

"It’s not as if missing the second half of the concert is going to do any harm. You’ve missed it either way, and I don’t think you even really care, do you?"

"No…"

"Go ahead and take him back home, I’ll explain everything when the others get back,"

"But what about Mattie?"

"I’m sure Gilbert-san will give him a ride home,"

"NO!"

"Alfred…"

"NO! Mattie is NOT going home with that asshole!"

"You do realize that they will be living together in a couple of months, correct?"

"…"

"…"

"…Fine. I’ll take the drunkard home,"

Arthur felt himself being lifted off the floor into strong arms that lifted him with seeming ease. ‘It feels warm…” Arthur instinctively nuzzled into Alfred’s chest, wanting more of the boy’s unnatural body temperature. Soon, Arthur heard the sound of a door opening and felt himself being lowered into a seat, then the door shutting again. He blinked his eyes open and looked around. “Where’s all the booze?” He looked around aimlessly around the car.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur looked at Alfred, who had just shut his own door. "I’m taking you home, then I have to get back here as quickly as possible so I can Mattie home,"

"Why?"

Alfred turned to face Arthur, “What?”

"Why do y-you have to… What about Gal… Gol… Gel… Fuck it. What about Mat-Matthew’s fiancé?"

"… How did you know about that?" Alfred glared at Arthur.

"Matthew told me abo-aboot…hehehe ‘aboot’… Matthew told me about it," Arthur stated as he started to sway in the seat. What Alfred didn’t seem to realize was how close Arthur had been leaning in.

"He did? When?!"

"uh…. A while ago…"

"But why did he-" Arthur cut him off by pushing a finger against Alfred’s lips.

"Shhh…Shhhhhhhhhh…" Arthur started to sway even more. Alfred watched in silence as the flushed boy leaned in and out, swaying from side to side, until he finally lost his balance and fell face first into Alfred’s lap.

"WHAT THE-" Alfred would’ve pushed the Omega off of him, but he felt strange down south as Arthur’s cheek rubbed up against his crotch, causing him to instinctively buck his hips. "Fuck…."

Arthur lifted his head slightly, taking in a whiff of Alfred’s scent. ‘Oh god… that smells delicious…’ Arthur thought as looked at the growing tent in Alfred’s jeans. He felt more blood run to his head as he felt the need to touch the man above him. “Ah… Alfred… Do you smell that?”

"Sm-smell what?"

"It’s coming from," He gently poked at Alfred’s growing erection, "right here,"

Alfred groaned at the contact, “Arthur… what are you doing?”

Arthur started to pull down the other’s zipper, “You look like you’re hurting,” Once pulling the zipper all the way down, Arthur started to pull down Alfred’s boxers as well until the Alpha’s cock was fully exposed. “W-wow…” Arthur didn’t know what to do, but he heard something in the back of his mind telling him to taste it. Listening to the voice, Arthur stuck out his tongue and dragged it across the head of Alfred’s dick.

"Uh!" Alfred’s eyes widened at the feeling of the wet appendage on his sensitive area. Arthur then opened his mouth and took as much of Alfred as he could into his mouth, sucking gently. "Ah! Arthur!" Alfred groaned as he started thrusting upwards into the Omega’s warm mouth. Their motions continued as Alfred felt himself getting closer and closer to the edge. His mind was fighting his instincts as to whether he should come in the Omega’s mouth or not. But the debate ending abruptly as he felt the warmth leave his cock in the cold air. "Wh-what?" Alfred looked down and he instantly felt all his pleasure leave his mind as he no longer watched Arthur’s head go up and down on his penis. Instead, he was now looking at a sleeping Arthur snore away on his thigh. “… Are you fucking kidding me?”

After getting Arthur back into his own chair and buckled up, Alfred looked back down at his pitifully painful erection. “Fuck… How the hell did this happen?” Alfred grabbed a napkin from inside the glovebox compartment and made sure no one was around before attending to his needs. It wasn’t until after he was done did he realize the whole time he had been looking at Arthur’s sleeping face. ‘God, I’m a sick pervert…’ He thought in misery as he laid his head against the steering wheel.

Once they had arrived at Arthur’s house, Alfred picked up the sleeping boy and knocked on the door. He could hear someone walking down the stairs, and within a minute he was face to face with Scot. The man raised a brow at the scene before him. “I’m just going to take a guess and assume the kiddo had too much to drink, aye?”

Alfred Gave him a questioning look, “Is everyone in your family okay with underage drinking?”

"No, we are not. But we’re technically British citizens and the drinking age is 18, so according to family rules, the kid’s legal,"

Alfred just looked at the red head, “Whatever. Here’s your brother,” He held the sleeping boy out to the older Alpha. Scot took the boy and bid Alfred farewell and thanked him for bringing his “stupid, irresponsible brother” home.

And with that, Alfred heading home, knowing all too well that his brother was probably not going to be home till later, if he came home at all. Which meant Alfred wasn’t going to have any sort of relaxing sleep. But at least the next day would be the weekend.


	9. Of Heats and Secret Talents

The weekend had not been kind to Alfred, and it showed on his face. It was now the Monday morning, and young Alpha was standing on the Kirkland family’s front porch. As he stood there, getting his wits together before knocking on the door, he contemplated the past few days. Saturday had been the day of the _incident_ (one that Alfred would rather not remember, but the embarrassing memory continued to haunt his dreams… or nightmares, depending on who you asked) and Alfred had not slept a restful wink the whole weekend. Most of his time had been spent either studying future material in his classes, playing video games, eating, or worrying where his brother was at. Speaking of Matthew, Alfred had not seen him all weekend except for in the mornings and evenings at family meals. The younger brother was usually out with his fiancé, doing god knows what. On top of everything else Alfred had not retained a single thing out of his studies, which meant that he would probably no longer be ahead in the class. Now here he was, starting the second week of suppose-to-be-glorious senior year, picking up a moody Omega from his house. Alfred continued to pity himself for a few seconds before knocking on the door.

When the door opened it revealed a face in a similar state as his own, just a little worse off. “What do _you_ want?” Arthur growled.

"Well aren’t you just a ball of sunshine?" Alfred’s voice dripped with sarcasm. Arthur was still in his green, white, and black pajamas and his lack of grooming to his hair and black bags under his eyes showed that he had just awoken. Arthur glared up at the Alpha before rubbing his temples.

"Look, I don’t feel like playing any games today. Now _why_ are you here?”

‘ _Is he serious?’_ Alfred lifted an eyebrow. “It’s Monday. You know, the first day of the school week?”

Arthur blinked a few times, the processing of information obvious in his eyes, before starting to panic. “Oh bloody- What time is it?” He looked back into the house at a clock hanging on the opposite side of the house before spinning around the door. Before getting too far, he then swung his body back so Alfred could see his face and commanded, “You stay there. I’ll be right back,”

Alfred obeyed (not that he had much of a choice) and stood on the patio until the Brit was done and out of the house. On their way to school, neither of them had said a word. Arthur was staring out the window at the passing scenery, and Alfred was trying not to think back on their last encounter. This caused an awkward silence, but it was broken once they arrived in the school’s parking lot. Alfred was about to get out of the car when Arthur spoke up.

"You know, I don’t remember much from Saturday. So if I said or did anything embarrassing, I’m sorry. I just… nevermind," And with that the Omega got out of the car and briskly walked towards the school building. Alfred leaned back into his chair and blankly stared at the Omega until disappeared behind the double doors of the main entrance. Alfred then ran his hand through his hair.

‘ _What an idiot,’_

The next few days continued on in a similar fashion, with Arthur staring out the window and Alfred concentrating on driving, neither saying a word to each other. Alfred had tried to make conversation with the Omega, but Arthur had been so distracted with his own thoughts that he didn’t even realize it. On Friday, Alfred arrived at the Kirkland house and went through the process of knocking on the door, and expected Arthur to once again not be ready to leave, just as he had been all week. Alfred even arrived early so that they wouldn’t have to run to class like they had on Wednesday.

A minute after knocking, the door opened and Alfred felt his head become clouded and dazed, similar to how he felt the past Saturday night. There was this strong smell coming from the house that hit him like a ton of bricks, and made his body want to go in the house and find the source of the scent. That was, until he saw the figure standing in the door frame. There was Mrs. Kirkland, but she looked tired and annoyed, hair messy and no make-up on her face, showing her aging wrinkles and stressed eyes. She looked up and Alfred and gave a tired glare. “May I help you with something, Alfred?” Her voice sounded dry and stressed, as if she hadn’t had anything to drink in the past few days. Alfred snapped out of his trance and looked down at the squat woman.

"I-I uh… I’m here to pick up Arthur?" He didn’t mean for the statement to come out as a question, but the _smell_. It smelt so familiar yet so very foreign and exotic to him, and he wanted to know where it was coming from. He didn’t even realize that he had been leaning in towards the house until Mrs. Kirkland put a hand up against his chest and pushed him back from the entry way.

"Sorry Alfred, but not today. Arthur’s… not feeling well, so he won’t be going to school," she looked over her shoulder into the house before looking up at him. "It would be best if you just leave," and with that, she took a step back into the house and slammed the door shut, cutting off their conversation and the mesmerizing scent. When Alfred snapped back into it, he realized what was happening. Arthur was in _heat_! No wonder the usually aggressive Omega was so quiet and out of it the past few days. He didn’t even notice when Alfred had insulted him the day before on their way from school! This thought made Alfred get into his car quickly and drive away, as he didn’t want to get in trouble with Scott again.

But it was strange to Alfred, as his mother and brother were never quiet right before or during their heats. In fact, they were the exact opposite. Every three months, four times a year, they became clingy, demanding, and obsessive. Matthew and Mrs. Jones would call Alfred and his dad to spend time with them on the couch while watching some sappy chick flick or waking Alfred up at 3 in the morning to go get instant noodles from a gas station. They even go into his room and take his pillows, blankets, and various personal items to build their nests… which he never wanted back afterwards. Thankfully, his mother and brother never had their heats at the same time. His father and he decided a year after Matthew’s first year of heats that they would hide all of Alfred’s important items (such as sports jackets, game consoles, books, ect.) away until either Omega went into full heat and disappeared into their rooms for a whole week. But worst of all, his father was dragged into his parents’ bedroom during his mother’s heat and the poor man was the only allowed out to go get food three times a day for his Omega wife. This thought made his stomach want to rebuke the breakfast of pancakes and sausage that he had this morning. No matter how old you get, the mere thought of one’s parents having sex was always mentally scarring. But before his mind could cause any more damage to his digestive track, Alfred’s phone rang out.

“ _Half-breed, that’s all I ever heard_

_Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word_

_Half-breed, she’s no good they warned_

_Both sides were against me since the day I was born”_

‘ _What does she want now? Well, she’s just going to have to wait till I get to the school,’_ Alfred thought as he drove down the street. ‘ _Wait… Shit! What is she going to say about me NOT having Arthur with me?! She’s gonna be pissed!’_

Within minutes Alfred pulled into the student parking lot and looked at his phone. His phone had gone off three times with two missed phone calls and one text message. The text and missed calls were all from his grandmother, who apparently was in a frenzy trying to get a hold of him. He decided to read the text before getting out of his car.

_To: Alfred_

_From: Grandmother_

_Do not pick up Arthur today. His mother called the school and informed us that Arthur has begun his heat. You will not be picking him up until next Monday. (Not this coming Monday, but the following). Oh, and stop by my office before you go home today! Love you! xoxo_

_Sent: Today, 7:23 AM_

Alfred sighed in relief. ‘ _Thank god… Seriously? ‘xoxo’? She’s either being sarcastic or she’s drunk,’_ Alfred chuckled and shook his head. While Hehewuti was a motherly Alpha, she never expressed it openly to her children and grandchildren who weren’t Omegas, much less Alphas. Any affection that came from her for them either came in the form of ‘tough love’ or sarcasm and teasing. Alfred would have to make sure to check in her later, but until then, he needed to go meet up with his friends that would be trying out for the football team with him next week. Speaking of which, Alfred also reminded himself to ask his grandmother about how the thing with Arthur would work out during football season.

Throughout the day, everything seemed to be going great, which made Alfred very happy. Without Arthur at school, everything seemed to lighten up to Alfred. He continued to have a great time until Home Economics, his TA class. He greeted Mr. Edelstein and even arrived early! Everything was grand and dandy in the young Alpha’s life, until a certain Italian walked into the room.

"Where the fuck am I supposed to sit? All the seats are filled!" An angry, brunette Italian with a bouncing curl on one side of his head growled at the teacher. Mr. Edelstein looked down at the boy and glared.

"Just because your hormones may be uneven, doesn’t mean you can talk to a teacher that way Mr. Vargas!" Mr. Edelstein retorted. "You can sit with your brother for today, as his table partner is _ill_ today. But he will be back in a couple weeks and then you can work with Emil once he comes back from taking a family-emergency leave,” Huffing in defeat, Lovino Vargas walked over to the table where his twin sat.

For the rest of class, Alfred asked if he could go to the gym since Mr. Edelstein wouldn’t need his help with just a simple lesson of how to make Norwegian Butter Cookies. After receiving permission, and a stern mini-lecture on staying in the class one is supposed to be in, Alfred left, but not for the gym. Instead, he took short cut through the library, past the gym, and was soon looking at large ivory and gold doors. Alfred opened them and was greeted with only the sound of a cello playing somewhere in the large music room, which stopped soon after he closed the door. Mrs. Edelstein looked up from her music sheet, forest green eyes scanning the premises of her classroom, to see a blue-eyed blonde walking towards her, and she gave him a gentle smile.

"Well, hello there, Alfred. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you around these parts," She chuckled and she set her cello back onto its’ stand.

Alfred smiled back, “Yeah, since freshman year! But your husband finally let me out of his clutches for the day,” Alfred laughed out.

Mrs. Edelstein laughed as well, “Well, it was your fault for setting his old classroom on fire sophomore year! At least this is your last year…” Her smile turned sad as she picked up a violin.

Alfred returned the sad smile with one of his own before brightening and pointing at the violin in the teacher’s hands. “You want some accompaniment with that?”

"Sure. How about a guitar?"

"Of course. What else do you think I know how to play? Hahaha!" Alfred joked as he grabbed one of the acoustic guitars hanging on the wall. "What are we playing anyway?"

“ _Ave Maria_ ,”

"Alrighty then," Alfred started to strum the strings, which reverberated throughout the room, creating simple chords of music. Soon, a violin joined in, and the two began dance throughout the room, bringing a sort of peaceful feeling to the only two that heard it. The notes twisted and bowed, moving along the strings of each instrument and out into the open air. Towards the end of the song, Mrs. Edelstein began to slow down, causing Alfred to slow down as well until the music stopped completely. The two sat in silence for a while, both thinking of something different, but related.

"Alfred… I never understood why you didn’t continue pursuing music. You were, and still are, so gifted in it," She smiled weakly.

Alfred looked down at the guitar in his hands and plucked at the strings as bit before shrugging. “I don’t know… I guess… I don’t know,”

"It isn’t ‘Hero-like’ enough for you?" The music teacher teased.

"No! Well… sort of," Alfred sighed and leaned back in the chair. "I mean, it’s sort of more of a hobby, ya know? I like playing instruments, but I know I can be more useful elsewhere," He stood up and hung the guitar back on the wall, "I mean, I’ll have a family someday, and I want to make sure I can support them, and I’m not good enough to be a successful musician…"

"What about singing? If I remember correctly, you always jumped at the chance to have the lead solo in our school performances,"

"Mrs. Edelstein-"

"Please Alfred, call me Elizaveta. I’m not your teacher anymore. We are two Alphas speaking to each other now," She smiled at the younger.

Alfred smiled back, “Of course, Elizaveta,” He sat back down in his chair, “I just don’t think I could do it. Either way, it’ll be a lot of work, but I want to help people that need help,”

Elizaveta listened as Alfred spoke. She nodded in agreement before tagging on, “People listen to songs for help as well. But,” She got up and stretched, setting the violin back in its proper place, “I understand what you mean. Oh and speaking of families… have you found a mate yet?” She gave a genuine smile.

Alfred looked away, a light tint in his cheeks. “No…”

"Ah, well then, you should get to work on that so you have a family to support,"

"I know…"

Elizaveta looked down at the disheartened boy and smiled as she walked over to him and patted his shoulder. “You know-” Elizaveta couldn’t finish her sentence as the classroom door flew open. Alfred was about to turn around to see who it was, but the look in Elizaveta’s face told him everything. “What do _you_ want?” The female Alpha seethed.

Alfred heard footsteps coming towards them and withheld himself with everything he had from standing up and punching the guest in the face. He turned around in his chair to look at the face that made him just want to punch someone, preferably _him_.

"Kesesese. Nice to see you too, Liz!" Gilbert snickered. The albino walked in with Francis, Antonio, and Matthew right on his heels. Matthew gave a weak smile to Alfred, trying to tell his brother to calm down. But it didn’t work.

Alfred stood up and glared at the albino, who stared right back at the blonde with a smirk. Neither of them had to say a word to know that the other hated him. It was a sort of mutual agreement ever since Matthew announced his and Gilbert’s engagement, Alfred made sure Matthew understood just how much he opposed the idea. They stood there for a few moments, seeing who would make the first move, knowing full well that the first would carry the blame. Red and blue fought like fire and ice, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Alfred took a half step towards the other male, fist already half way to the white-haired Alpha’s face, but it stopped as Antonio stepped in and grabbed Alfred’s angered fist.

"Amigo, we’re not here for a fight. We just heard the music coming out from this room and wanted to see who could create," He turned towards Elizaveta and winked, "Such a _beautiful_ melody,” Elizaveta didn’t seem to notice the flirtatious Spaniard, as she was too busy in her own glaring match with Gilbert. Unlike Alfred, she could throw the first punch whenever she wanted, and she was very tempted in doing so.

"Gilbert, you know I don’t like smelling your egotistical stench within a mile of me, much less in my _classroom_. Now you better tell me the real reason,” she glared at Antonio, “As to why you all are here,”

Gilbert’s seemingly permanent smirk opted out for a frown and his eyes grew serious, “Well, Birdie here wanted to talk to you about the ceremony for some reason. I told him that we should have just gotten a different Bonding Ceremony planner, but he’s dead set on you doing it, “

At the mention of the ceremony that she was in charge of coordinating, Elizaveta’s eyes brightened and she almost threw herself at Matthew, “Oh Matthew if that’s the case then you could’ve come yourself! But I understand that _some people_ ,” Glared back towards Gilbert, “Can be so clingy sometimes! But unfortunately, I’m still on the clock here as a teacher, so how about you come see me after schools over and we can discuss it? Or you can come to my office at the Ceremony Grounds tomorrow?” As Matthew and Elizaveta discussed details, Gilbert snuck over to Alfred who was now messing with a trumpet, pressing the keys, but not making a sound.

"Pssst, Al,"

"What do you want? I still want to kick your ass, do you realize that?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey listen, Matthew and I were talking and he said that he wanted you to sing at our Bonding Ceremony,"

Alfred’s head flew up and he gave Gilbert an unbelieving stare. “What? Why can’t you and your band do it?”

Gilbert rolled his eyes, “Because I’m the _groom_! Use your head! But anyway, Matthew was too afraid that you’d turn him down if he asked, so I’m asking instead,” Gilbert quietly cleared his throat before getting on one knee as if to propose, “Will you, Alfred F. Jones, make me the happiest man on Earth by performing at your brother’s and mine Bonding Ceremony?” He asked loudly so everyone would hear. Alfred’s face contorted in disgust at the other Alpha’s sarcastic way of asking him to do something that he didn’t want to. He didn’t even want to be there for the ceremony itself! But he knew that everyone would be pissed at him if he didn’t show up and smile as his brother walked down the aisle with their father.

After glaring at the Alpha on his knee, and clearing his own throat, Alfred responded, “Of course I will perform at your wedding. I need to make sure you don’t get drunk and try mating with my brother right there on the dance floor. After all, it sounded like you to were about to skip the ceremony all together before the concert last week,” He smirked down at Gilbert as Francis and Antonio started laughing, Matthew blushing like mad, and Elizaveta smirking at Gilbert’s horrified face. “Now, I have to go see the principal,” And with that Alfred left the room without another word.

Alfred smirked to himself as he walked down the hallway to the main office. What Matthew and Gilbert didn’t realize was that along with complaining about all the various members of the Kirkland family, Arthur had also bitched about getting pinned to a wall because Matthew was “about to get fucked on the make-up stand” in Gilbert’s dressing room had he not interrupted. That bit of information was the only thing that kept Alfred from seriously hurting Arthur again for all the bitching he did _about_ Alfred. He decided that he owed the Omega something for keeping his brother a virgin and giving Gilbert a case of Blue Balls.

Speaking of the Omega, Alfred wouldn’t see him for another week, and something inside him felt a little sad at the thought. _‘NO! Bad me, BAD! We do NOT ‘miss’ a little bitch Omega like him! We take this chance as a vacation from all the shit he’s caused us!’_ Alfred chastised himself. As he continued to mentally yell at himself, he was quickly approaching the door to the principal’s office, and almost walked into the closed door had he not looked up just as he was a foot away from it. Gathering his wits and calming himself, Alfred then knocked on the door.

"Come in,"

Alfred opened the door to see Hehewuti working on paperwork of some sort. She looked up at Alfred, “Aren’t you supposed to be in class still?”

"Yeah, but Mr. Edelstein said he didn’t need me today," Alfred shrugged as he took a chair to sit in.

"Alright, then let’s make this quick," She put down her pen and took off her glasses, "As you know, you won’t be picking up Arthur till next Monday because he has started his heat. I also assume that you noticed that the boy had been acting differently?" Alfred nodded in agreement. "From here on out, you are to inform me of when he starts acting that way for more than two day in a row. I received a call from Mrs. Kirkland around first period to inform me that you almost stormed their house?"

Alfred’s jaw dropped, “Wh-What?! I mean, yeah I was there, but I didn’t go in or anything!” Alfred yelled, trying to defend himself, “I have more control and common sense than that!”

Hehewuti waved her hand up and down, telling Alfred to calm down. “I know you do, I taught you myself. However, an Alpha’s senses are all pointed towards mating when a heated Omega is around, especially an un-bound one. For this reason, I want you to inform me of Arthur’s changes in attitude. I know that you think Omega’s are scheduled to go into heat every three months, but they vary. So pay attention so that you are not caught off guard again. What would you have done if an Alpha was there instead of an Omega to answer the door? You would have had your sorry ass kicked for even being in the vicinity!” Alfred flinched at the thought of Scott opening the door and them getting into another fight. Alfred was strong, but Scott was strong _and_ experienced, which put Alfred as a disadvantage. “Now,” Hehewuti continued, “Make sure that you just be more aware, alright?”

"Alright," Alfred let his eyes drift downwards. His grandmother was right. If any Alpha smelt another Alpha (that wasn’t blood related) around one of the heated-Omegas that they governed and protected, they go on the defensive. They will attack any Alpha that they deem unworthy of mating to said Omega and not stop until the intruding Alpha surrenders and leaves, dies, or proves their strength by getting the defending Alpha to surrender. Even though this was a primal way of thinking and not many had to fight for their mates anymore, if an unknowing Alpha was to cross any boundaries in relation to heated-Omegas, a fight was inevitable. Alfred wouldn’t personally accept either option or defeat had he been in that situation, as it was very degrading and embarrassing. But even if he did win, that meant he would have the obligation of mating to the Omega that the other Alpha would be fighting to protect, which he seriously didn’t even want to think about.

After discussing some family matters, Alfred bid his grandmother farewell and left. But as he was driving home, he found himself driving towards the opposite direction town; the direction that he would usually take to take Arthur home. Alfred hit the brakes and found a place to make a U-turn, now going the correct way. ‘ _I can’t wait till this year is over,_ ' Alfred thought as he sighed to himself.


	10. Of Heats and Lust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

It had all started on the first day of the second week of school. Arthur had not only slept through his alarm, but he was actually awoken by a wet pillow of drool because of the smell of bacon and eggs cooking in the kitchen. Arthur _hated_ breakfast. It wasn’t that he didn’t like bacon or eggs, but he just couldn’t bring himself to eat in the morning as it always made him feel nauseous later in the day. But for some reason, he soon found himself sitting at the table with his mother, father, and brother Niles, eating the meal together. That should have sent up a red flag, but no one really thought much of it, as Arthur was nursing a hang over the whole day before and hadn’t eaten much. Arthur ate in silence, the chewing of his food drowning out his mother’s voice, who had given up on talking to her son after a few minutes, brushing it off as he was still half asleep. After finishing, Arthur thanked his mother and put his plate in the sink. Just about to turn on the water, Arthur stopped when the doorbell tone rang through the house to inform its’ sleepy inhabitants that they had a guest at the front door. The family played a quick game of locking eyes at one another to see who would answer the door, and being the only one already standing, Arthur lost. The blonde grudgingly walked to the door, wanting to kick whoever would be insane enough to be at their house so damn early in the morning, but he felt too tired to actually put his plan in motion. As he opened the door, Arthur felt his indifferent mood shift to the dark side.

"What do _you_ want?” He seethed. ‘ _Someone up above must really have it in for me if I have to see his face this early,’_

"Well aren’t you just a ball of sunshine?" Alfred retorted. Arthur glared at the Alpha as the he watched Alfred look him up and down, making Arthur feel like he was under a microscope. He started to feel tense and wanted the Alpha to stop staring at him so he sighed to break the silence.

"Look, I don’t feel like playing any games today. Now why are you here?"

Arthur watched Alfred lift an eyebrow. “It’s Monday. You know, the first day of the school week?”

Arthur blinked a few times. ‘ _Monday? What does that have to do with school…’_ Then the pieces came together for him. “Oh bloody- What time is it?” He looked back into the house at a clock hanging on the opposite side of the house before spinning around the door, ready to run up the stairs to grab his uniform. ‘ _Shit! I totally- wait!’_ He then swung his body back so Alfred could see his face and commanded, “You stay there. I’ll be right back,”

The rest of the week was a blur to Arthur. He barely remembered anything from any of his classes. Luckily most of the homework was easy, and Home Economics was still going over food handling (something that Mr. Edelstein had forgotten to go over the first week, but Feliciano warned Arthur not to bring it up with the teacher and just accept it as the learning schedule). Something in the back of Arthur’s mind told him to start gathering pillows and blankets, which he did subconsciously. It was on Saturday that everything started to click for him, and he knew that he needed to be prepared for what would definitely come the next day.

Arthur had been stocking up on food, plush pillows, and thick blankets, and none of this went unnoticed by his mother who offered to call the school on Monday morning and even went out to buy new _toys_ for him. By Sunday night, Scot had left to return to his own home in the neighboring city, Arthur had 4 new vibrators and dildos which brought his total to 12 toys, and his nest was set up in the corner of his room next to the door of his adjoining bathroom. Thankfully houses in recent decades had been designed with “Omega specific rooms”, which had a bathroom connected to it, a lowered section of the room by about 3 stair steps, and sound proof walls. His environment was just right with dimmed lights simulating a cavern and his nest built up about a 2 feet thick with mats and blankets. He was ready for his quarter-yearly torture of lonely suffering and screams of pleasure brought on by cold plastic and metal. Already starting to feel the burning sensation in his nether regions and back side, Arthur stripped of his clothes and stepped into what would be his little home for the next week or so and tried to get some rest before his virgin body demanded the falsifying pleasure of un-fruitful sex.

It was early in the morning when it started. Not sure of the time, but knowing that most people were still asleep, Arthur’s eyes popped open as he felt a familiar cold feeling in between his slim thighs that was created from the secretion of Slick out of his anus. You see, along with their heats, Omegas’ bodies also produced a type of natural lubrication from the entrances to their wombs, whether it be the anus or vagina, and it was later given the name “Slick” because, well, that’s what its’ purpose was. As the Slick started to dribble down to the sheets, Arthur instinctively arched his back, as if someone was going to be there to take care of his needs, but was only met with the cold air of the night. Whimpering in lustful want, Arthur panicked as his hole began to throb in heated pain of not being filled. He started to grab at the sheets as he thrust his hips in the air, hoping that some magical being would appear before him and pound him into euphoria of rough and tiring sex. But alas, no such thing was going to happen for the poor Omega, and he began to moan out in frustration at the lack of body contact that he so desired. He began to squirm and move his arms up and down on the sheets, reaching for something, _anything_ , to help him. And this time it paid off as Arthur’s hand came in contact with one of his older vibrators (his first in fact, but he was too dazed to notice). His hand gripped the metal piece and quickly inserted it with ease into his suffering hole and pressed the button on the small, hand-sized, control panel that was connect to the vibrator by a thin, worn, cable. In less than a millisecond, soft vibrations started to pulsate within Arthur’s entrance, calming the violent throbbing of emptiness in the Omega.

The vibrator helped for about an hour, until it only proved to further his torment by now causing pleasurable sensations to move to all the sensitive parts of Arthur’s body. He felt his penis twitch, and Arthur groaned in response, as he knew he was on his own to take care of what was destined to happen with every male-Omega’s heat. He felt his instincts tell him to pleasure himself, and he couldn’t fight them even if he wanted to. Arthur reached down, in between his legs, and started to slowly stroke himself. Between the slow strokes, gentle squeezes, and soft vibrations coming from his ass, it wasn’t long before Arthur’s cock was at full length (which wasn’t much, but hey, he wasn’t going to be impregnating anyone in that life time). Soon, he unconsciously started to thrust into his hand and as his strokes became increasingly quick and rough. Within a few minutes, Arthur’s vision went white, and he let out a silent scream as his cum hit the blanket below him and mixed with the drying Slick. His body began to calm as his breathing started to steady and Arthur decided it best to pull out the now Slick-covered vibrator. Once removed and tossed to the side, Arthur laid there for a few peaceful moments, which would soon become non-existent as the week went on, thinking about his life. He started to have the doubtful thoughts of never knowing the warmth of another body, only the feeling of lifeless vibrators and fake penises. He thought about how he would never have any children to call his own, failing at what he was meant to do and becoming even more of disgrace to society. Speaking of “society”, Arthur’s schoolmates popped into mind. Yes, he had begun to make friends at this new school, but he still stood alone when it came to mates, now that Matthew, the one person who he felt like he was connecting with, was going to be bound in a couple months. Arthur felt pity wound up in the pit of his stomach and soon his cheeks felt as cold as his thighs did as his tears that he blamed on heat hormones fell from his eyes. He continued to let the tears fall until he felt only numbness take over his body, which only lasted a few minutes before he felt the same emptiness from before return. Wanting to get some more sleep, Arthur reached for a smaller sized dildo, about 5 inches in length, and pushed it into himself to quiet his body’s complaining throbs. He then drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

Sunday continued on in a similar fashion, with vibrators, dildos, moans, tears, and sleep. But it was Monday morning that threw Arthur’s life into a tailspin. He had just awoken from another two hour nap, but something was off about his body. If it hadn’t been for the large dildo in his ass, Arthur would have gotten up and ran to the front door. But for what for, he had no clue. But he knew had to do with who ever just rang the doorbell. The Omega was about to pull out the comforting piece of rubber until he heard his mother’s footsteps running down the stairs to the door. She would, for a lack of better words, seriously _flip a bitch_ if Arthur ever left his nest. She had scolded him after his first heat for leaving his nest, saying that it was “an Omega’s responsibility to stay in their nest at all times during their heats so that they don’t bother other people”. So, Arthur opted to stay in his little fortress of comfort, or at least he did, until he smelled something exotic and intoxicating. _'Oh god…What is that?'_ Arthur moaned at the smell. After a few moments of his body shivering and convulsing, he knew what it was that drifted into his house and up to his room. It was the scent of an _Alpha_ , and a powerful one at that. Arthur whimpered at the scent. It smelled so _delicious_ to him and he wanted to bring the owner of the scent up to his room and have them fuck him senseless, so very badly. He gave out another moan of need before pulling out the dildo and started towards the door, struggling not to fall over as he did from the lack of use of his legs. However, before he could even make it half way across the room, he heard the door slam shut, and the once potent aroma was now just a lingering, and quickly diminishing, fragrance. Arthur knew his mother was coming, so he quickly, or as quickly as a weakened Omega could be, got back into his nest and nuzzled into his pillows, trying to hide is mass amount of disappointment. His mother’s footsteps became louder and louder as Arthur put in a slightly smaller dildo than the one before, only to find that she had actually passed Arthur’s room and had returned to her and her husband’s own instead.

Arthur couldn’t take it anymore. His mind was reeling with all the possibilities as to what this mystery Alpha could look like. He could still faintly smell the Alpha, so Arthur tried to see if he could see the Alpha out of his window. He was able to see the person, but what he saw frightened him and aroused him all at once. There, jumping into his car and making a quick U-turn in the street was _Alfred F. Jones._ Arthur stood there in disbelief, forgetting all about his heat, the slick running down his legs, and dildo sticking halfway out of his ass and opted to think about the fact that he was just considering seducing the most narcissistic, thick-headed, handsome, strong Alpha that he had ever met. Before his thoughts could venture any further on the topic of the Alpha that was now out of his sight, Arthur felt his backside start to burn again, demanding attention. Deciding to try and forget about blonde boy, Arthur returned to his nest and grabbed one of the new vibrators, a pink one with ribbed sides. Arthur removed the dildo from his ass and quickly wiped the Slick off of it with one of his towels that he used while in heat and inserted the vibrator. Arthur grunted in slight pain, as the vibrator was fairly wider than the dildo, but he knew that it would just help the feeling of lust disappear faster as more friction was applied. After growing slightly accustomed to the girth, Arthur turned it on. The vibrations that came from the device quickly caused the same natural phenomenon of causing his dick to get excited as well. Arthur sighed in frustration. ‘ _Every time…’_ He thought as he reached down to take care of aching cock. He stroked up and down quickly with his left hand and his right hand worked on moving the toy in and out of his entrance. Sometimes, like this time for instance, Arthur would picture a faceless male behind him, Alpha by blood, strong and powerful by trait. These thoughts helped him reach his orgasm, and would usually end in the silent screams of a very horny and needy Omega. However, unlike every time before this, as Arthur came, he cried out, and unlike all the silent screams that had left his mouth before, this time he rasped a name. Not just any name in fact, but the name “Alfred” was the one to escape his lips.

As soon as his body came down from its high, Arthur collapsed down onto the blankets in his own mess of cum and Slick. Then, when everything started to come together, Arthur felt his heart and stomach clench at the same time. He had called _Alfred_ 's name. Alfred Fucking Jones' name. Arthur felt his face grow hot, putting his hands up to cover said face, as if to try and hide himself from the world. But what was done, was done. And all Arthur could now think about was either how much he hated his heat or how might Alfred look while thrusting inside him. ' _NO! No, no, no, no, no!’_ Arthur’s mind screamed at him. He couldn’t believe what he had just done, and what he didn’t know was that this masturbation would not be the last to end with the strong, un-bound, violent Alpha pictured in his mind. Again and again and again, over and over, all Arthur could think of was the idea of a sweaty, grunting Alfred behind him, thrusting in and out as he bit Arthur’s shoulder. Just the mere mental image of the sex, sweat, screams and fulfilling completion was enough to take the Omega over the edge every time. He had even started to hear Alfred’s mocking voice in his ears, teasing him with dirty thoughts and promises of pleasure. Needless to say, Arthur was a mess physically and emotionally by the end of his heat. As Sunday came and he only felt the need to grab a vibrator only twice, Arthur couldn’t help but break down into tears. He hated crying and, even more so, sobbing. But he laid there in his nest after his second round of fake sex, crying at the fact that he hated the world, people, and himself. He hated that he couldn’t get the blonde haired, blued eyed Alpha out of his head, and that he was the only Alpha he could think of when the feeling of sex started to feel so good. But most of all, he hated that he felt the way he did about the Alpha in that moment, and hoped that it was only his damn hormones that made him actually want Alfred as a mate.

As Monday came, Arthur was back to his regular schedule of waking up at the proper time, skipping breakfast, and being ready to go 5 minutes before Alfred was supposed to arrive. Arthur was ready to go back to school and see his classmates, but he was not ready to face Alfred. The five minutes of waiting felt like an eternity and only five seconds all at the same time, but both seemed to end once the doorbell rang. Arthur contemplated running back up to his room and fake still being in heat, but his mother had already seen him that morning so that would never work. After going through all the possibilities for escape, and finding none that would work, Arthur opened the door. There stood Alfred in his blue Letterman’s Jacket that matched his blue eyes, or at least that’s what Arthur thought until he realized that he had been staring into the eyes of the young man that he had been having very _immoral_ thoughts about all week. And the scowl on the Alpha’s face showed that they obviously did not share the same thoughts about each other.

"Are you ready to go? I’ve been waiting out here for ten minutes!" Alfred growled. Arthur meekly nodded and followed Alfred to his car after saying goodbye to his parents.

If one was to try and describe the environment inside the car, “awkward” would be a massive understatement. Arthur sat as far away from the Alpha as possible, and Alfred retained his scowl from before, being very upset about something. After a minute or two, Alfred finally spoke up, “So… what’s your favorite type of music?” Arthur turned to look at the boy with a confused look. Alfred looked back at the other for a brief moment before continuing, “I got a new stereo, and I figured that the whole “silence” thing was getting a little old…” Arthur could’ve sworn there was some pink in Alfred’s cheeks, but before he could be positive of it, the other turned to look at him again. “In other words, you can turn on the stereo. Just don’t turn it to anything Screamo or folk,” Arthur nodded and turned on the radio, turning it to a radio station that played punk rock. He turned it up, figuring that the song sounded good, and found the beat quickly, nodding his head with it.

But his music was short lived as the music quickly changed. Alfred had reached over and turned the channel to a country station.

"What the hell is this?" Arthur seethed.

"Country music. I want to listen to it," Alfred responded smoothly.

"You mean ‘hick music’?" Arthur teased.

"At least it’s better than music that makes you want to slit your wrist," Alfred retorted.

"At least you don’t need to be missing half your teeth to sing it,"

"At least country singers can actually sing!"

"Sing in what language? Hillbilly slang?"

"Dude, you lost this argument," Alfred chuckled.

"Excuse me?" Arthur challenged.

“‘Hillbilly slang’? Pfft, what kind of comeback was that?” Alfred was full out laughing now.

"We-well I-!" Arthur was flustered. He had been beaten out by and American twat. An American twat with a very _smooth_ laugh. ‘ _NO! Bad me!’_ Arthur chastised himself before joining in on Alfred’s laughter. And with that, Arthur felt his day become slightly better and much less awkward as he almost forgot about the memories from his heat. _Almost._


	11. Of Parties and Nurse's Offices

"Why do you have to play that bloody music _every morning_?” Arthur seethed.

"Well, _Artie_ , country music is great. That’s why,” Alfred retorted.

"You are an imbecile,"

"At least I’m not the one that looks like as Eskimo!" Alfred shot back.

"It’s the end of October! And it was fucking 50 degrees this morning!" Arthur shouted before burying his face into his scarf. _'And Omegas don't produce a lot of body heat… Idiot…'_ Arthur mentally added on.

Alfred and Arthur were on their way to school, and just like in the recent mornings past, they were bickering with one another. It was now late October and a month and a half since Arthur’s heat, something that the two had an unspoken agreement never to discuss. The Alpha and Omega had grown accustomed to the cycle that Principal Jones had set up for them and even started to have somewhat civil conversations with each other in the car. They spoke of music, the classes they had together, Alfred’s football games, and other various events going on at the campus. However, even with their mutual development in private, at school they remained indifferent towards each other and never spoke to one another. Arthur respected Alfred’s wishes of not speaking to each other at school. In class they would sit at opposite sides of the room, at lunch they stayed at different ends of campus; all to avoid coming in contact with the other. However, Arthur had found himself paying more attention to what Alfred said, how he dressed, and even who he was friends with; _everything_ the Alpha did stood out to him. Luckily for Arthur, staying away from Alfred was a perfect way of keeping his own feelings at bay. He was even still confused as to the feelings that hit him almost two months prior and wished that they would have just disappeared along with his heat, but they continued to linger and continued to make Arthur’s life puzzling with unnecessary blushing and stuttering when he should have frowned and flipped the other off.

While Arthur did have his small battles of reasoning versus instinct, everything else in his life had been going the most smoothly that it had ever been. Having friends, no one picking on him, and his mother not being afraid of him getting into fights (though she still pestered him over acting more like a “proper Omega”)… everything was wonderful. But having friends did come with its downfalls, Arthur came to realize. And this day was one such experience that taught him that as he was all but forced to go to a high class “Halloween” party that a class-mate’s family would be hosting, something that Arthur believed to be way out of his field of comfort.

"I believe that I might be busy tomorrow," Arthur smiled apologetically, "Also, didn’t you say that it will be a party for business relations?"

Hercules, a Greek Beta in Arthur’s AP Literature class, thought about the comment for as bit, rolling it around in his head, “I suppose… I did,” He said quietly. Arthur never fully understood what could have been going on inside the Beta’s head, as he was very intelligent (his grades proved that), but he always needed a moment to recall what his own name was. “But…” the Greek turned to Kiku who sat to the right of Arthur. “Kiku wanted you to come too… and he won’t come to see me alone…”

"I said no such thing!" Kiku suddenly yelled. Arthur jumped in his chair at the sudden outburst, and everyone in the classroom went quiet and stopped what they were doing, just to see what could cause the typically mellow man to shout in such a way. Kiku noticed the attention that he had drawn and blushed in embarrassment, coughing to try and calm himself. "I mean, that is not exactly how I put it," He turned to Arthur, "I had just mentioned to Hercules that it would be a kind gesture to invite you," he then turned his attention to Hercules, who had laid his head on Kiku’s desk. "And I come to see you quite often when our families meet for business,"

Hercules turned slowly, almost like a sloth that had just woken up from along nap, contemplating what the other had said. Then something must have popped into his head, because he quickly arose, bring himself to be eye-level with the other Beta. “But that Turkish ass is always there when that happens! He’s loud, rude, and even insulted your father last time! He ruins everything! And… he’s always… bothering you…” He treaded off as his eyes traveled upwards to Matthew who had just arrived to class and was quickly walking towards his desk, face flustered and annoyance shining clearly on his features. No one but the three sitting near his desk noticed, but they all knew not to ask. Matthew was the sort of person that would probably be freaked out by a spider, but insist on not killing and letting it go outside instead; the sort that was kind to even those that probably didn’t deserve it. However, as Arthur had found out on a certain car trip to school a couple weeks back, Matthew had a wicked temper when provoked. It showed in the lovely bruise forming on Alfred’s forehead right above his left eyebrow from where the younger brother had apparently thrown a book at the older. Arthur could only guess that it had to do with either Gilbert or Alfred’s hideously disgusting vocabulary; hoping that it was the former and silently congratulated Matthew in his mind as he tried to hide the laughter that threatened to break lose.

Before he could go any further on the memory, Matthew sat down in a huff, mumbling something in a hushed tone. Hercules looked to Arthur before getting up, handing the British Omega an invitation to the party, telling him that the address and time was inside the envelope. Arthur watched the boy slowly walk back to his desk, but just as he was about to sit down, the door opened again, this time with Alfred standing solemnly against the door frame. He slowly walked through the room, glancing towards his brother, the other blonde returning with a glare that could kill. Something had clearly happened, but Arthur had sense enough to stay out of it. The room became eerily silent as Alfred took his seat, not one student dared inquired as to either half-brothers’ distinctive changes in manner. Thankfully the tension in the room dissipated as class began, all the students forgetting about the strange behaviors of the Jones brothers. However, a class can only go on for so long.

"Arthur, I’m sorry but I have to leave now," Matthew half-heartedly apologized as he gathered his things.

"Ah, it’s fine," Arthur tried to leave it at that, but he just couldn’t hide his concern. "Matthew, is everything alright?" His friend was usually so happy, albeit quiet, and gentle, not brash and ominous. The violet-eyed blonde snapped out of his thoughts, and turned to the other Omega.

"Yeah, why?" Matthew asked as he gave a confused look.

Arthur couldn’t believe it. Matthew seemed completely oblivious to his character change. “Well, you seemed, well, _off,_ ”

Matthew stared at the other Omega for a while before looking meekly down at his desk. “Oh, yeah… _That._ Well, it’s nothing really. I guess I was just acting a bit brattish,” He looked back up and Arthur and gave as weak smile. “See, Gilbert is performing tomorrow, but I can’t make it because grandmother, Alfred, and I all have to go to another party to represent our family. And Alfred didn’t take to kind to the idea either. Apparently some of his football friends are having a party as well, but grandmother insisted that he goes, since I can’t represent our father’s company since I’m not next in line,” He smiled sadly.

"Oh I see. Well, I hope everything will work out," Arthur stated with a smile. And with that, the two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways for the weekend.

Arthur couldn’t help but think on how strange the day had been going. From a fairly random invitation to a party that really had nothing to do with him, to Matthew’s peculiar change in behavior, all Arthur wanted was to finish off the day and go home to find a way to get out of going to this Halloween party. But at the same time, the thought of going to a party seemed enticing to him. He had enjoyed going to parties back in England; the loud music, the strobe lights, and the fact that no one really recognized you, it was all wonderful to him. Yes, they were wonderful. But this one would be different, as it was to be business centric; no doubt a way to get future heirs of companies to become friends or even some of them comfortable enough with each other to become mates. While Arthur’s father did work for the embassy, it didn’t mean that his family had any sort of power, much less any reason to pique any interest for company CEOs and their prodigies. So, truthfully, what was the point in going if all Arthur would do is stick out and be the one strange Omega that stood alone in the crowd without any sort of connection to the corporations that would be represented there? Arthur tensed at the thought as his imagination started to go to work on what the scene would probably look like.

‘ _The room would be grand, with white marble floors and pillars to match, and a red stage curtain at the fore front where large magnificent double cedar doors would be framed by the crimson velvet. There would be a 12 piece orchestra in the corner, and its soft music would drift through the room and out to the balcony that various full glass doors would lead to. The balcony would, obviously, overlook an extensive garden and hedge labyrinth that a few couples were traveling through in a romantic search to have the perfect ending with their lover in the middle the maze as they shared a loving kiss beneath the full moon’s light. Standing by one door, I would stand alone and watch as the Beta servants walked around with platters of small appetizers and glasses of various drinks and couples danced across the room, the Alphas twirling their Omegas to the notes. But the joy that everyone on the dance floor would never reach me. The burning of the glares of the elder attendees would hinder me from even moving, even with a masquerade mask on. To have my very person be judged, dissected, and even discriminated as I stood before a room full of power hungry men and women in terrifying masks and fabulous red and black dresses and tuxedos… I would become scared and wait the whole night by the cold, lifeless glass leading out to the frigid night wind. I would be a lone Omega in a room full of loving couples and soon to be mates that were arranged to be together before they were even born. Alone…’_

Arthur’s self-pitying was about to startup when he felt himself collide with a wall. “Shit…” Arthur cursed under his breath as his ass came in contact with the ground. He looked up to take toll of how many people had just seen his little stunt, only to come face to face with a child. Or, it would have been a child’s face, had the face not belong to a very tall man with broad shoulders.

"Oh? It felt like something bumped into me. Or should I say ‘someone’, hm?" The man smiled down at Arthur, an innocent smile to match his child-like features. The man’s platinum hair waved slightly as he took a hand out of his suit pocket and reached it out to the smaller man. "You want to get up, da?"

‘ _Russian,’_ Arthur concluded before grasping the offered hand and was quickly pulled back up on to his feet. ‘ _And an Alpha,’_

"I hate to be bothersome, but could you perhaps direct me to the infirmary?" The Russian man smiled.

"Oh, uh…" Arthur couldn’t keep his mind on a straight track. The man was just so _close_ to his face! Their noses were only millimeters away from each other, and his violet eyes were showing a strange form of fascination and curiosity.

"Hm? Are you alright?" The man asked as he tilted his head slightly to the side.

Arthur snapped out of his daze. “A-ah, yes! The nurse’s office is down the hall and to the right, it’s the first room on the left,”

The man contemplated this for a few seconds before smiling again and taking a step back. “Now I remember! It has been quite a while since the last time I was on this campus, but thank you. I’ll be on my way now,” He waved good bye as he walked off towards his destination, leaving Arthur dumbstruck.

‘ _What the hell was that?’_ Arthur stood in the same position for a while until the warning bell rung through the hallway air, pulling him from his own world. He ran the rest of the way to class, having a full minute to spare once arriving. Taking in the classroom as if he had never been there before, Arthur found his seat. He laid his head down on the table and looked across it to a window that held a view of the main quad, with its trees turning orange, red, and brown and various students walking about. It wasn’t that difficult to tell the Social Importance classes of each student, even with all the different jackets on. Those that were Omega, such as himself, were bundled up in big jackets and those whose mates were still in high school were cuddled with them as they walked. The Betas all had sweatshirts or light jackets on to act as a simple wind break. But the Alphas, Arthur thought, they were the insane ones. Running around in their summer uniforms of short sleeves and lose ties, acting as if the cold wind was just something of fairytales that didn’t actually happen in real life. ‘ _But, excluding the wind, it really is a beautiful day…’_ Arthur almost dozed off until he realized that he had been looking out the window. Without any obscurities. Specifically, certain _Italian_ obscurities named Feliciano Vargas.

This instantly sent up a red flag for Arthur as he looked around the class in a panic, hoping that the boy would show up. But as the bell rang once again, and the teacher began roll call, Arthur felt his heart rate go up and up.

"Feliciano Vargas," Mr. Edelstein called.

‘ _Fuck…’_ Arthur mentally cursed.

"Feliciano Vargas?" The teacher looked around the room, stopping at the empty seat next to Arthur.

‘ _FUCK!’_

"Hmm, Lovino, where is your brother?"

The other Vargas brother looked up from his sketch pad and looked over to the window seat. “No clue,” He shrugged and went back to his artwork.

Mr. Edelstein’s eyebrow involuntarily twitched at the boy’s response. “Did he come to school today?” Everyone started to look at each other, wondering if anyone held the answer that Mr. Edelstein sought. A loud cough brought everyone’s attention to the front of the class to the student perched behind the teacher’s desk. “Yes, Alfred?”

"Mrs. Edelstein said that she sent you a text message to excuse Feli from class to help her with coordinating the Winter Singing Competition," He responded with a smirk. To this, Mr. Edelstein raised a brow before opening a drawer in his desk, pulling out his cell phone. His eyes scanned the text quickly before closing it, throwing it back to from wince it came, and slammed the drawer closed with an agitated look. He threw a glare back towards Alfred, who still kept his knowing smirk glued to his face.

"Very well," Mr. Edelstein turned back to the class, "Since Feliciano is going to be absent," His eyes caught Arthur’s, "Mr. Jones will have to be your partner, Mr. Kirkland. But this time," He turned once more to the Alpha behind him, "No fights are to break out. Understood?" Alfred glowered at the Beta teacher before nodding.

While the two at the front of the class made the day’s arrangements, Arthur was still frozen in alarm. But it wasn’t because of Alfred; no, he hadn’t even heard the teacher assign them as partners. He was terrified because Feliciano, he class partner, wasn’t there, which meant he would have to actually _cook._ Despite his willingness at the beginning of the year to strive and become at least a somewhat decent, Arthur had given up on even trying the day that he honestly made Feliciano cry in disgust. The two boys had made a deal that as long as Arthur just handed the Italian the ingredients, then the other would do the rest of the work. But without him there, Arthur had to stand alone. Arthur was trying to think of a way to get out of class, but his thoughts were interrupted when the chair next to him made a screeching noise as it was pulled away from the table.

"Teach says we have to play nice," Alfred huffed as he sat down.

Arthur blinked a few times, gathering all the events that just happened in his mind. Once everything came together for him, Arthur spoke up, “So we are working together then?”

"Nope. I’m just here for moral support," Alfred casually stated as he leaned back in his chair. Oh, how Arthur wanted to push the chair farther back until Alfred’s head met the floor. But the two of them had left blood on the floor last time they were paired together, and they only stopped hearing about it last week from Mr. Edelstein. Instead of getting physical, Arthur simply ignored the Alpha and listened as the teacher informed the class that for that class, they could bake whatever they wanted (within reason, of course).

‘ _I can’t wait till the cooking part of all of this is done and over with…’_ Arthur mentally sighed. Once given page numbers and various handouts, Arthur went to work on making the scones that his mother made every Sunday. He grabbed the flour, eggs, milk, etc. and looked at the recipe in his book. ‘ _This isn’t right… I’m sure mum adds just baking powder, not powder and soda…’_ And thus, began the beginning of the end of Arthur’s peaceful and stable school life.

When Alfred opened his eyes, he was on a simple, and slightly uncomfortable, white bed with a closed window with white curtains to his right and a large white drawn curtain on a rail connected to the ceiling to his left. Except for the birds singing softly in the chilled wind, the room itself was warm and quiet, and Alfred was almost drawn back into his quiet slumber. That is, until his stomach did a 360 degree flip and he intuitively rolled onto his right side and threw up what was mostly fluid like substances into a trash can.

"What the fuck happened?" He thought out loud. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his raging stomach. He closed his eyes and tried to think of how the hell he ended up in the nurse’s office. ‘Okay Jones, think. What was the last thing you remember?’ Alfred tried to think back, and he found his memories had lead him back to when that teacher with a mile-long stick up is ass had made him "team up" with that AB Omega.

_Alfred watched as Arthur walked off and gathered different ingredients, taking a glance at the boy’s book while his back was turned. Alfred thought it strange that the Omega would make scones of all things instead of something sweet like everyone else was doing. But then again, Arthur wasn’t like everyone else. Alfred quickly resumed his previous position of leaning in his chair as Arthur approached the table, arms full of various dry and wet food bases. Alfred lazily watched as Arthur read the book, a look of confusion on his face, and then shrugged as he started to measure out components of the recipe. Alfred had figured that Arthur, being an Omega and what not, wouldn’t have much of a problem baking something as easy as scones, and decided to close his eyes for a bit. He listened to the clacking and scrapping of whisks and spoons hitting the insides of bowls, and the occasional student accidently dropping something._

“ _There! Now to just put them in the oven!” Arthur exclaimed, pulling Alfred out of his self-induced trance. Being a curious sort, Alfred leaned forward in his chair, trying to look into the bowl; and he wish he hadn’t. If the brown batter had not been warning enough, the tablespoon in the salt container and text book on the ground should have set off is internal alarm. But he too busy watching the Omega squat down to the oven and try to figure out the controls. Arthur, trying to remember how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, was looking at the oven in contemplation._

_Alfred watched him for about three minutes before speaking up, “If you need help, I can-“_

“ _No need. I’ve got it,” Arthur said straight faced that clearly sent the message of ‘don’t even try me’ without even looking up at the other blonde. He pressed and held down the temperature button until he deemed it just right. He got to work on rolling out the now rested (if you looked really, really hard, it had risen a bit) dough and cutting them out into circles._

_Alfred watched with interest as Arthur placed the biscuit shaped dough on the parchment paper covered cookie sheet and sprinkled them with sugar. Once the oven beeped to inform the baker that it was ready, he then placed them in the oven as he started to hum. Alfred should have noticed that the oven had taken much longer than needed to heat up to whatever temperature Arthur had set it for, but he didn’t. He didn’t notice a lot of things that Arthur had messed up on, which was the reason that when he swiped a cooled scone from the rack when the other turned his back, he ended up going green in the face with disgust. It was positively the worst thing the young man had ever eaten, which was saying a lot since he had eaten his grandmother’s cooking._

_When Arthur started to turn around again, Alfred began to panic, not knowing if he should spit out what was in his mouth and quickly hide the bitten into black, coal like atrocity that the AB Omega called a ‘scone’ or if he should just take it like a man and down the whole thing. Being an Alpha, he went with the ‘manly’ option and stuck the whole thing in his mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing it and trying his dammed hardest to ignore the taste. Arthur finally turned all the way around, his face paled and his eyes became similar to a deer in headlights._

“ _Oh my god! Are you alright?!” Arthur was one octave down from shrieking. Alfred didn’t know what he was talking about and nodded. However, from that one simple head gesture, Alfred felt his head spin like a merry-go-round on hyper drive and everything around him started to shift, successfully causing the Alpha to jump up to the table sink and promptly throw up the scone and everything else he had eaten since breakfast. After that, all Alfred could remember was Mr. Edelstein yelling about a nurse and Arthur running past him to god knows where, leaving him on the cold tile floor with a bit of dried blood in between the tiles. The word ‘ironic’ was all Alfred could properly process before completely passing out._

"What the hell were in those scones?" The sickened boy asked to the silent thin air while rubbing his head, voice horse and throat dry.

"So that’s what that mystery food was in your vomit," A heavily accented voice said from the other side of the drawn curtain. Alfred turned to the white sheet before pulling it back and receiving a view full of white light. Once his eyes adjusted to the florescent lighting, Alfred came to two conclusions. One: He was in the Nurse’s office. And two: The culprit of this whole problem was sitting in the chair next to the nurse. Arthur had leaned back so that he could see the ruckus, but the only thing he saw was Alfred’s menacing glare.

"You!" Alfred shouted suddenly, pointing a critical finger towards the other blonde, "You tried to kill me!" Alfred almost jumped out of the bed to lunge at the AB Omega, but as soon as he moved his body forward, his world started to spin again, making him fall back onto the bed.

Arthur tensed when Alfred shouted; but being accused for ‘trying to kill’ the other made him get hot under the collar. Arthur felt his face heat up and his eyes grow cold in a glare that would probably be successful in stopping a heard of rampaging cattle. The two of them had been getting along fairly well lately, but the moment the other tried to lunge at him, all of those “good” moments went straight out of Arthur’s mental window. Once the Alpha was laid back down on the bed, the green-eyed blonde stood up and briskly walked over to him, staring down at the usually taller Alpha, but he took an opportunity to be fiercer than someone like Alfred when he saw one. He made eye contact with the other; both glaring at the other, but it was obvious who had more strength in the situation. Alfred opened his mouth once again, probably to insult Arthur again, but he didn’t get the chance to go any further on the subject. No one really can when they end up with an open hand making contact with the side of their face.

"Don’t be such an _arse_ , you dick,” Arthur growled once he saw swelling in Alfred’s left cheek.

Alfred had just been slapped. In the face. Thus making it the second time that he was hit by a Kirkland, but for the first time in his life, he had been reprimanded by an Omega other than his mother. Alfred’s hand went to the injured cheek, as he gaped at the standing boy, his mind reeling with what to do. Then, something in the back of his mind came forward.

‘ _No one corrects me, especially not an Omega. You would do well to learn that_ ,’

Alfred’s mind blanked out almost everything in that moment: the time, the scone, his sickness, the room they were in, the nurse starting to rush over to the two, everything. Instead, it was instantly filled with three things: an Omega had just slapped him, an Omega had just chastised him for the second time, and that this Omega had no fucking right to do either. Alfred Jones stood slowly, reaching is full height with shoulders tense, fist becoming white-knuckled, and eye’s darkening like an ominous storm on the horizon. He smirked in annoyance as he thought back to the first time he met Arthur only a few months back. He had warned Arthur never to do such a thing to him again, but the little AB Omega must have forgotten about the little chat they had on the first day of school. The defiant smell that Arthur gave off made the Alpha feel like he had to re-instill the lesson into the shorter blonde’s mind. Fuck the sickness, fuck Allistor, forget his grandmother; there was no way that Alfred would stand for this freak to embarrass him again. Alfred felt the anger start to grow inside of him, but something was holding him back from fully attacking the Omega. Before Alfred could completely break every mental restraint he had on himself, the door opened and Alfred’s annoyance intensified, but his smirk fell to a snarled frown.

"I’ve returned with our lunch, Yao! It was a long walk to the restaurant going alone, but I’m back and- Oh?" A thick accent followed every syllable. It was a man’s voice, and each word caused Arthur to feel a sense of unease as the scent of another Alpha entered the room. Turning his head slightly, Arthur caught a glimpse of the man that had just entered the room, noticing his platinum blonde hair and violet eyes.

‘ _That’s the guy from before,_ ’

"Ivan…" Alfred quietly growled.

"Hello Alfred, it’s been a while, da? I see you’re still causing trouble, as always," The Russian Alpha smiled as he walked over to the Nurse’s desk and set down a bag with two styrofoam boxes in it. As Ivan looked around the room, his eyes landed on Arthur and his smile grew into one of true surprise. "If it isn’t the little Omega from before!" He walked over and shook Arthur’s hand, "Thank you for showing me the way! Yao wouldn’t tell me for some reason," His voice dropped at the last sentence.

"That’s because you’re being a nuisances," Yao spoke up, giving a disapproving glare up to the much taller, violet eyed Alpha.

Ivan didn’t seem fazed by the glare, and just grinned down at the black haired man. “I just wanted to see if you’d take up my _offer_ ,” Ivan stated as he went to grab Yao’s arm, but it was whacked away by the Chinese nurse.

"This is no time for you to bring that up. And I’m working, so please leave," Yao stated as he walked over to Alfred to make him lay back down on the bed. van’s smile instantly dropped at the Asian’s cold words, his scent changing to one of gloom.

Arthur felt as if he had just walked into something he shouldn’t have, but before he could turn to leave, Yao called for him.

"Arthur, would you please come here?"

Arthur froze before nodding slowly, the feeling that he was about to get in trouble began to bubble up in his stomach. The room was fairly small, but Arthur felt like it was a mile long between the blank look Yao was giving him and the glare that Alfred was trying to send to him. The AB Omega stopped at the bedside and gave Yao a look that was a mixture of waiting and fear.

"I need you to watch Alfred while I go on lunch break. But don’t kill each other, I was hired to take temperatures, not clean up blood. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes," Yao said calmly.

"What?!" Alfred yelled, "He already put me in the nurse’s office! Who knows what else the guy will do,"

Arthur’s eye twitched at the _compliment_ Alfred had given him. But he quickly switched up his game and he gave Yao a gentle smile. _'If that's how you want to be, I'll play'_ Arthur thought.

"Of course. Sorry that we took up your lunch break. I’ll make sure that he doesn’t go _anywhere_ while you’re gone,” Arthur stated while ushering the other Omega and Alpha out of the room. Once he saw them off, Arthur turned around and gave Alfred a menacing smile, “You’re a real pain in the arse, you know that don’t you?” Alfred looked at him and sat up on the bed, however, before he could fully get out of the bed, Arthur was right at the side of the bed and pushing his shoulder back down.

"What are you doing?" Alfred questioned as he tried to rise again, only to result in the same way again.

"Yao said I need to watch you, and that means you’re not supposed to get up. You’re still sick after all," Arthur retorted, but his voice softened at the last part.

"And whose fault do you think that is?"

Arthur felt his last bit of compassion for the sick Alpha almost snap, but what the other had said was true, as it was because of his failure in the art of cooking that landed him on that bed. So instead of flipping the bed, and Alfred, over onto the floor, Arthur opted to just sigh and grab a cup of water from the dispenser in the corner of the room.

"Why is it your cooking sucks? Aren’t Omegas supposed to be _good_ at cooking? Or is it because you’re an AB Omega that you can’t cooking worth-“

"Shut up right now before I throw your sorry, sick arse out that window," Arthur cut in, back still turned towards Alfred.

Alfred glared and looked up at the clock. ‘ _Fuck… it’s only been two minutes,’_


	12. Of Parties and Halloween

Sirens were blaring in the distance as people in white lab coats and smocks ran around him, one man in particular was asking him something, but he couldn’t make out the words. The young man was too busy trying to figure out everything that had just happened in the last couple of hours, but everything seemed to mix together until there was nothing but smears of colours and noise mixing together.

"….Know this man?" The doctor asked.

‘ _What?’_

"Hey! Are you alright?" A woman’s voice rang over to his ears.

"… Yeah…" The boy responded as he looked around him, throat dry and his voice hoarse.

"His seems to be in shock," The doctor told a nurse passing by, "Take him somewhere quiet and keep an eye on him,"

"Yes Doctor Zwingli," The woman nodded before gently grabbing the boy’s hand and guiding him away from the all the chaos. The two arrived at a door which lead into a room with glass walls that one could easily see into, but once inside, all the noise from the outside world was blocked out. The woman guided them to a couch and motioned for him to sit, which the teen did obediently . She nodded in approval before turning around to retrieve some water from a near bye dispenser in the corner of the room.

"So," the woman began as returned with two plastic cups and handed one to the young man, "Do you remember what happened?"

The blonde looked up at her, eyes glazed over, but it was clear that he was truly thinking about what had transpired. The nurse stared at him for a while before sitting next to him and placing her own cup down on the black coffee table in front of them. She didn’t want to push too much, fearing that he could break down, and then the high school student wouldn’t be of any help.

"Well, can you tell me your name?" She asked while softly rubbing the boy’s back.

Said boy looked down at his cup before speaking in a whisper that the nurse had almost missed, “My name is Arthur Kirkland,”

It all started the day before when Arthur was just getting home from school right at dusk. He decided to stay with Yao, Ivan and Alfred as they waited for Principal Jones to finish up all of her meetings. Yao had deemed that Alfred would still be suffering from food poisoning and recommended that the Principal follow Alfred on his way home. Arthur offered to just walk home so that Alfred could get to bed as quickly as possible (an idea which Hehewuti tried to reject, but Yao told her it was for the best). So, after a quick good bye a glare towards the sickened Alpha, Arthur soon found himself at his front porch staring at his panicked and crying mother.

"Where were you? What happened? Are you okay?!" Mrs. Kirkland cried as she checked every inch of her son.

"I’m fine. I was just in the nurse’s office with-"

"Nurse’s office?! What?! Who did you get in a fight with?!" She screeched in rage.

"What? No! Mum, just listen!" Arthur yelled back at her. The two stood on opposite sides of the door thresh hold, breathing deeply while staring each other down. After a few minutes, Mrs. Kirkland made the first move.

"Well, come in before it gets dark," She motioned inside as she stepped aside to allow Arthur in the house. Once inside, the two sat down and Arthur explained about the "incident" that had happened with Alfred Jones. Mrs. Kirkland decided it best if she set up a meeting with Mr. Edelstein to discuss Arthur’s (lack of) cooking skills.

"I’ll call the school on Monday and set up an appointment with this Edelstein man. I knew I should have requested for you to be excused from that class," She shook her head sadly at her son’s failure in cooking; a major part of knowing how to care for a family as an Omega. She had put so much effort in trying to get Arthur over that one glaring problem that she had hoped he would grow out of, but never did.

"Mum, you know that it’s required for Omegas to take Home Economics to graduate. It’s just like how Allistor had to take three years of Physical Education as an Alpha," Arthur tried to reason with his mother.

"I know, I know," Mrs. Kirkland sighed, "I just want-"

_Mr. Blue Sky,_

_Please tell us why_

_You had to hide away_

_For so long!_

She didn’t get to finish as a ringing cell phone cut her off. Both Kirklands looked down at Arthur’s pocket as the younger tried to get the loud device out of the confines of his clothing.

"Hello?" Arthur answered without looking at the caller ID.

“ _Hello, Arthur?”_

‘ _Ah, Kiku,’_ Arthur deducted from the politely quiet voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes, this is him. Is something wrong, Kiku?"

“ _A-ah no, I am quite alright. However, I am calling to inquire as to whether you will be needing a ride to the Karpusi’s tomorrow,”_

‘ _Dammit… Forgot about that,’_ Arthur’s face scrunched up in slight frustration of himself. However, once thinking back of the day’s events, Arthur concluded that the party could not be anywhere near as bad as giving Alfred F. Jones food poisoning and receiving a failing grade for his scones. And thus, decided that some fancy party would be worth a shot. ‘ _Who knows. It could be better than I originally thought,_ ’

"Yes I do," Arthur responded.

“ _Wonderful. I’ll let them know that you’ll be attending as well. Since that is the case, I will stop by as retrieve you around five tomorrow. Is that alright with you?”_ Kiku happily asked, or at least he sounded happy to Arthur. It was difficult to read the Asian man at times, but at other times, he was an open book.

Arthur responded with a ‘that’s fine’ and the two said their good byes. By this time, Mrs. Kirkland was in the kitchen making dinner and Arthur decided to take a nap and try and recharge his attitude before his Niles returned home. Not that it worked well since sleep seemed to want to avoid Arthur at all cost.

The next was a blur. From waking up in the morning till around three o’clock in the afternoon, Arthur couldn’t remember much. Something about his mother finding out where he was going and forcing him to wear a suit, had placed him in his bathroom with his mother trying to fix his unruly hair. She was babbling on about his eyebrows, but he wasn’t really paying attention. Arthur had been thinking about the party; wondering who would be there and what the conduct would be at such a extravagant party. Even though his father might have worked for the Embassy, but Arthur himself had never been to any of the parties that his parents had attended in the past, except one when he was so young that all he could remember was some Alpha boys poking fun at him.

"There!" Mrs. Kirkland huffed in satisfaction. Arthur snapped back to reality, looked at the mirror in front of him, matching green, tired eyes meeting each other. Said eyes growing wide as he noticed how much gel his mother must have used to slick his hair back to the point where his blonde hair match that of Ludwig’s. Arthur must have looked like a gapping fish since his mother chuckled before patting his shoulder. "Now come on, you have to get your suit on," She lead her son back into his room and to his bed, where she had laid out his one tuxedo with a green vest and tie to match his eyes.

By four thirty in the afternoon, Arthur was sitting in his family’s formal living room waiting for Kiku to arrive. As he sat there on the couch, Arthur started to feel his hair fall out of form and his tuxedo seemed to grow tight around his chest. He almost asked his mother to called Kiku and excuse him from the party, but knew that she would fuss and fight him until she would pretty much force him to go. Just as he felt that maybe Kiku would not come, as a proper Japanese man, Kiku rang the doorbell at exactly 5, not a minute earlier or later.

Mrs. Kirkland ran to the door let the boy in, “Well hello! Kiku Honda, I presume?”

Kiku jumped at the sudden opening of the door, but gave a slight smile to the cheerful woman, “Yes, I am. Is Arthur ready to leave, or should I wait in the car for a bit longer?”

"Oh, of course he’s ready! We wouldn’t want you to have to wait in your-" As she spoke, the older woman looked up past the top of the short boy’s head and what she saw made her mouth gape open. She quickly excused herself and walked swiftly over into the formal living room to her son and in a harsh whisper told him, "You are not backing out of this! There is a limousine outside and I swear, if you do not take this opportunity, I will die of disappointment,"

"Wh-what?" Arthur stuttered as his mother grabbed his shoulders and lifted him up off the couch and giving him a good look over.

"Hurry and go! You and Kiku are going to be late!" She quickly ushered him to the door, quickly shutting the door, and Arthur’s chances of retreating, without a second to spare. Arthur and Kiku stood and stared at the door, as one tried to figure out such a strange woman and the other in disbelief of said woman.

‘ _My mother is an idiot,’_ Arthur slowly shook his head before facing Kiku with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about her. She gets these crazy notions and acts on them,” Kiku nodded in understanding, but his features quickly changed to confusion.

"Um, Arthur," Kiku looked the other up and down, "Why are you dressed so formally? You cosplaying as a character from a television series, perhaps?"

That was when Arthur actually looked at what Kiku was wearing. The Beta was wearing a strange looking cape with an 18th century styled shirt and slacks, with a bright red amulet clip and very fluffy looking cravat that touched his chin. It took a while, but Arthur finally put everything together and realized that the Japanese man was dressed as “Dracula” or something of the sort. That was when Arthur felt like the biggest moron in the world. After all, it was a _Halloween_ party, just with big name guest, so a costume was almost mandatory.

"Oh god… I… Fuck," Arthur cursed as he looked at himself in embarrassment. Arthur also mentally cursed the American’s stupid holiday of "dressing up" as fictional characters. It was childish to him and the reasoning for little girls to dress up as princesses and fairies escaped him, as the holiday was originally made to ward off evil spirits, not to invite them to tea parties. However, all these thoughts caused Arthur to feel panicky.

‘ _I can’t go like this! Oh god, what should I do? People will think I’m trying too hard and-‘_

"Well, you could wear the costume that I had originally brought with me. It might be… _different_ to you, but it should fit,” Kiku offered as motioned for the Omega to follow him to the limousine. “But we will have to redo your hair for it,” This was the last thing Kiku said before both boys disappeared into the vehicle and were on their way.

Arthur felt like Cinderella. A boy-forced-to-look-like-an-easy-lay sort of Cinderella. Kiku was right when he said “different”, but Arthur had figured something along the lines of some Japanese demon costume, not an outfit with white short-shorts, tight dress shirt, tie, thigh-high boots and a matching bustle that reached his knee. Kiku had brushed the gel and hairspray out of Arthur’s hair and had somehow managed to comb it to the side, giving the blonde a sort of pixie-cut look with bangs that hid a good portion of his eye brows. Kiku had even gone as far as putting eye-shadow and lip gloss on the Omega., giving him even more of a feminine look. But the worst part was the pair of small angle wings on his back and crooked halo, making him look like some sort of “Naughty Angel”.

Arthur’s eye twitched at the memory of when Kiku had first pulled it out. Arthur seriously thought about jumping out of the moving limo, but Kiku gave him a sly sort of guilt trip that went along the lines of “I already told them you were going to be there” and “people might think you’re a servant”. Arthur swore that Kiku had this whole thing planned, as the young man insisted to wanting to take pictures of Arthur for some cosplay website he ran with some friends. Either way, Arthur and Kiku were now sitting and talking to a couple of other teens their age, but Arthur’s mind was elsewhere.

As the night had continued on, and more people had arrived, Arthur felt more eyes watching him. The party was large enough that it was both indoors and outdoors with the balcony being the center of conversion for everyone to eat and talk. All in all, it was pretty much just like Arthur had thought it would be, but the status and names of everyone seemed to tucked away behind their costumes as even those that Arthur was certain had to be CEOs or Presidents of companies came and spoke with him about various subjects. He had been introduced to most of the younger people at the party, but there were those from the older crowd that seemed to continuously follow his every movement. One man in particular, dressed in some sort of black cape with a large black hat and mask, wasn’t very discrete in stalking. Every time Arthur and Kiku would move from one group of high schoolers to another, the man would move to where he was about 10 feet away. Even with dimmed lights and the DJ’s music blaring into the large room, the man stuck out in Arthur’s line of sight. However, his gaze would never move off of Arthur, which caused the Omega to become increasingly uncomfortable.

"Hey, Kiku, do you know that man?" Arthur motioned over to the masked man as he spoke, "He keeps following us,"

Kiku look over to where the man was standing and his face changed from confusion to what Arthur would have called “slight irritation”, if Kiku was capable of such an expression. Then, the Beta stood and walked over to the man, and after exchanging a few words, motioned for Arthur to join them.

"Arthur, this is Sadiq Annan," Kiku introduced the mysterious man, "He’s Hercules’ cousin and a family friend,"

The man laughed awkwardly before shaking Arthur’s hand, “Yeah, sorry about scarrin’ ya. I was just wondering who my buddy,” Sadiq threw his arm around Kiku’s shoulder’s before pulling him close, which caused Kiku’s eyes to look like they were about to pop out of his head, “was hanging out with,”

Arthur gave a slight nod, “I guess that makes sense. I’m Arthur Kirkland by the way,”

"Ah, you’re one of that brat’s friends from school, huh? I don’t get why you guys insist on hangin’ around him, he’s such a drag!" The man nearly shouted.

Arthur was taken aback for a moment. ‘ _What?’_

"You’re so loud sometimes that no one with in a kilometer radius of you can hear themselves think," a slow, drawn out voice spoke softly in contrast of Sadiq’s own loud opinion. Everyone turned to see a familiar green eyed, brunette walking towards them, wearing a black, pink, and purple suit with pink cat ears and a tail.

Sadiq gave a smug smirk, “Well, if it isn’t Hercules. How nice of you to actually get off of your lazy ass and attend your own party,”

"I was on my way here until someone stopped me to complain about some loud mouth that kept on butting in on conversations," Hercules bit back.

The two continued to swap snarky come-backs, until Arthur felt a hand pat his shoulder. “We should probably leave these two to work it out before they pull us into it too. I’ve been in that situation too many times before,” Kiku shook his head curtly before guiding the Omega away from the Greek Beta and Turkish Alpha.

The night continued on and soon the DJ was packing up around ten at night to let a live band come on stage. Arthur and Kiku were chatting casually with Indian man until their discussion was cut off by the wailing of an electric guitar.

"Hey everyone! Time to start this party with something that you all should know! Kesesesese!" A voice boomed through the speakers, drawing everyone’s attention to the stage where three men stood. Arthur couldn’t believe it.

‘ _Gilbert!’_

Without another word, Gilbert stepped back and started to play a few chords, with Antonio on the bass coming in soon after, and Francis on the percussions after him.

“ _Where is your boy tonight? I hope he is a gentleman._

_Maybe he won’t find out what I know:_

_You were the last good thing about this part of town._ “

People began to become silent as listened to the band play, the teens gathering on the dance floor as the adult stood by respectively and watched.

“ _When I wake up, I’m willing to take my chances on the hope I forget_

_that you hate him more than you notice I wrote this for you. (For you, so)”_

Arthur soon found himself separated from Kiku, but the music was pretty good and Arthur didn’t want to leave to go look for his friend.

“ _You need him. I could be him…_

_I could be an accident but I’m still trying._

_That’s more than I can say for him.”_

Everyone seemed to find the rhythm at the same time as the floor started to throb with a constant stomping of each person’s foot. Arthur even found his own foot moving on its own.

“ _Where is your boy tonight? I hope he is a gentleman._

_Maybe he won’t find out what I know:_

_You were the last good thing about this part of town._ ”

People who knew the words were beginning to sing, and those that didn’t started to try and dance awkwardly in the tight crowd.

“ _Someday I’ll appreciate in value, get off my ass and call you…_

_But in the meantime I’ll sport my_

_Brand new fashion of waking up with pants on at four in the afternoon._ ”

Arthur actually felt like he was having a good time, finally. The music was good and the people were much better than he had imagined.

“ _You need him. I could be him…_

_I Could be an accident but I’m still trying._

_And That’s more than I can say for him_.”

Arthur was in the middle of the crowd when he felt like he needed to go to go get something to drink. So after quickly escaping the confines of the other bodies, the blonde excused himself pass the adults.

“ _1-2-3-4!_

_Where is your boy tonight? I hope he is a gentlemen._

_Maybe he won’t find out what I know:_

_You were the last good thing about this part of town.”_

Arthur went looking for the kitchen as he knew it would be the only place that would have just plain water. But he wouldn’t make it very far before his whole night fell apart.

“ _Won’t find out (he won’t find out)_

_Won’t find out (he won’t find out)”_

There, in the middle of the hallway was a man choking for air before he fell to the ground with arm reached to Arthur as if he really was some sort of angel come to save him.

“ _Where is your boy tonight? I hope he is a gentleman._

_Maybe he won’t find out what I know:_

_You were the last good thing about this part of town.”_

Arthur didn’t know what to do at first. But as the man’s body stopped twitching, Arthur felt his brain re-connect with the rest of his body. And the first thing that came to mind was simple enough.

"SOMEONE HELP!" He let out a fearful screech.

“ _Where is your boy tonight? I hope he is a gentleman._

_Maybe he won’t find out what I know:_

_You were the last good thing about this part of town…”_

The instruments became quiet as Arthur ran full sprint back into the room, screaming like a maniac for someone to come and help. Everyone looked up, and few Alpha instinctively ran to see what was wrong, Gilbert being the first to arrive at Arthur’s side. Arthur drug the albino to the scene, and what happened after was a blur to Arthur. All he remembered was Gilbert yelling for an ambulance, and then Arthur and Gilbert were both taken to the hospital in the back of the emergency car with the man. Gilbert kept talking to the man, as if he had known the man for years, but Arthur didn’t register any of it.


	13. Of Hospitals and Families

_Beep… Beep… Beep._

Alfred bolted to his car, leaving his brother and grandmother at the party that they were attending in the next city over, a shocked Matthew being the last thing he remembered seeing before speeding off. Part of him was thankful that he had opted not to dance, or else he would’ve missed the call. But the other part wished he had been dancing, as he was terrified to even think that what he had heard was true.

_Beep… Beep._

It was about 11:30 at night by the time Alfred was on the freeway, and thankfully there were only a few cars here and there. His mind and heart were racing, and all he could hear was his own quickening heartbeat.

“You’re almost there. It will be ok,” Alfred kept repeating to himself like a chant to help make him concentrate.

_Beep._

As soon as the Alpha teenager arrived at the hospital, he parked as quickly as he could before jumping out of his car, not even bothering to lock it. He ran full sprint into the emergency room, looking around as if he had just walked into another dimension. He was looking for a familiar face, and soon he located the man down the first hall, standing against the wall with his head held low.

“Gilbert!” Alfred yelled to his soon-to-be brother in law.

 

… _Beeeeeeep…_

 

Gilbert looked up to see Alfred running towards him, “Woah, there Al. You’re in a hospital, you shouldn’t be running,” Gilbert lightly chastised.

Alfred finally stopped and caught his breath before speaking, “Where is he?!”

“He went in for surgery about an hour ago. They said that there was a tumor growing at the base of his brain, and they don’t know how anyone could have missed it till now,” Gilbert slowly shook his head.

Alfred stood in shock. ‘ _No… Th-that can’t be right,’_

“I don’t know what exactly happened, but when I got on the scene, he was passed out and barely breathing… They-“ Gilbert’s voice began to crack, “They said he had a 15% chance of survival, Alfred. I’m so sorry,” The older looked away in disdain.

Alfred felt his heart begin to break. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was supposed to get better. He was supposed to be there for Matthew’s bonding ceremony. He was…

“Are you Mr. Jones?” A voice cut through the teen’s trail of thought.

“Y-yes,” Alfred answered unsurely as he turned towards the doctor.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but we are unable to reach the tumor. You’re father has, at the most, 24 hours left to live before his main organs will give out. I suggest calling your family and informing them that this would be the best time to say your good byes,” The man stated solemnly.

Alfred stared at the floor for a while before speaking in a hushed tone, “Is he awake?”

“The anesthesia should wear off in about an hour, though he might still be incoherent. I’m sorry, but I must go see to my next patient,” the surgeon looked at Gilbert before leaving, “He will be in the same room as before,”

Gilbert nodded and looked at the younger Alpha. Gilbert had been through this once before with his mother, though her death was more expected from her constant illness, and knew that Alfred needed a moment to absorb everything. So they stood there for a good ten minutes before they watched the operating room doors swing open and a gurney was pushed out with a sleeping Alexander Jones on it. Gilbert patted Alfred’s shoulder and motioned for him to follow the small line of people following the rolling bed.  They followed in silence, down the hall and up the elevator, passing various men, women, and children on their way. They were about twenty rooms away when Alfred accidently bumped into a small girl and knocked her over. The girl began to cry and in that moment, Alfred felt like crying with her, dropping to his knees facing her. However, before he could breakdown completely, someone came up behind the little girl and picked her up, patting her back and gently shushing her to sooth her. Alfred looked up at the person, and he could’ve sworn he was indeed looking at what he could only describe as an _angel_.

He could tell it was an Omega from the scent, and a boy from his body structure, but his face was shielded behind the body of the little girl he was holding. Alfred could see small patches of blonde hair sticking out from behind the crying child, and Alfred watched the angel so intently, that everything else was forgotten in those slowly passing minutes. The Omega started to hum in a sweet voice that Alfred found calming, his heart slowing down as he felt so much of the panic from before leave him in those few moments. The Omega started to sway, entrancing the Alpha on his knees to watch the slow movements of the angel’s hips that were being hugged by white lace, satin, and denim of the bustle and shorts that he wore. Soon, the child was completely silent and still, just like Alfred’s mind. The angel turned and put the small girl down, letting her run off, before turning to face the big baby Alpha that was still on the verge of tears. When the Omega turned all the way, Alfred didn’t know exactly what to think as his own blue eyes met a pair of tired, green ones.

“Alfred…” Arthur’s voice trailed off, hoarse and quiet, “…Gilbert told me…and… and I’m sorry,”

Alfred stared at him blankly, all emotion vacant from his face. However, his sky blue eyes began to fill with liquid that threatened to spill over like rain. Alfred _hated_ this feeling. He hated to feel weak, to feel useless, to feel pitiful, and most of all, to feel like there was _nothing he could do to make the pain go away._ That was when the first tear rolled from his eye, down his cheek, and finally to the cold tile below him. And, just like rain, one drop was followed by hundreds as Alfred let himself go.

Call it what you will: instinct, worry, or even pity. But as Arthur watched the first tear fall, he felt his body drop to the ground as well and his arms wrap around Alfred’s head, bringing the taller boy to his chest. The two teens sat there, with Alfred clinging to Arthur for dear life as he let his world come crashing down around him. Arthur stayed silent and slowly ran his fingers through Alfred’s hair, letting the Alpha cry on his chest and let out every frustration he had been holding in. As they sat there, Arthur thought back to when Gilbert had told him that the man he had found was Alfred’s father.

_The doctor had just informed Gilbert of the tumor when the albino stumbled through the door to the room Arthur and the nurse had been sitting in. He asked the nurse if he could speak to Arthur alone, and the nurse (after looking at Arthur) nodded in approval before rising up and leaving. The two sat in silence for a while before Gilbert spoke up._

_“I guess you want to know who that man was back there huh?” He asked in a fabricated chuckle._

_Arthur merely nodded in agreement, still trying to get over the shock that a man all but died in front of him._

_Gilbert remained quiet for a few minutes, trying to figure out the best way to tell Arthur about Mr. Jones. The red-eyed man then took a deep breath before speaking, “His name is Alexander Jones. He’s Matthew’s and Alfred’s father,”_

_Arthur tensed at the information and, more specifically, at the mention of Alfred’s name._

_“He’s been having health problems for the past few years, and only just a couple months ago did the doctor give him the okay to go back to work. He and I had spoken the other day about wanting to meet up somewhere to discuss a few things about the ceremony. But, no matter how we tried to work it out, his and mine schedules just didn’t seem to match up except for the hour break I had at the party,” Gilbert took a breath, “ I guess he just pushed himself too far again,” Gilbert went quiet again._

_Arthur looked at the Alpha, whose head was reclined back and arm was draped over his face. Something within the Omega stirred, but it was hard to identify the feeling that kept tugging at his heart. It was something that felt like pity, but at the same time it didn’t feel so shallow. It felt like the feeling one would get from watching a car run over a puppy, but kept driving on; that feeling of needing to be angry and wanting to have done something to whole heartedly prevent it. Arthur looked back down at his cup of water and swirled it in his hand, both males sitting in silence until a vibrating sound erupted from Arthur’s pocket, shattering the time freezing calm that had been created in the room. Arthur grabbed the phone out of his pocket, quickly glancing over the text message that he had just received form Kiku. The Beta had offered to call his mother and tell her what happened, to which Arthur replied with a simple “okay”. Just as Arthur was about to let himself be absorbed back into the quiet the sound of a shifting body caught his attention._

_“Well, I think I should give Hehewuti a call,” Gilbert stated as he rose up, “She’ll know what to do about this,” He looked back at the boy in white before giving a weak smile before leaving the room, “I’ll be back,”_

_Arthur sat there, alone, for about five minutes before his phone went off in continuous vibrations, signaling a phone call. “Hello?” The blonde answered as he brought the phone up to his ear._

_“Arthur? What happened?!” Mrs. Kirkland asked in a panicked voice._

_“Ah, mum,” Arthur slowly acknowledged._

_“Allistor and Niles are on their way to the hospital right now. Are you alright? Kiku said that there was an accident at the party and that you’re at the hospital!” The woman sounded like she was about to have a heart attack with the way she was hyperventilating._

_Arthur sat in silence, blocking out everything his mother was saying. Her voice was giving him a head ache and he just didn’t want to deal with her at the moment, so he just hung up on her and turned his phone completely off. After all, people weren’t supposed to be using phones in a hospital._

It was later that Gilbert had come in and told Arthur about the tumor and that Mr. Jones had to go in for surgery. The Alpha excused himself as he wanted to be there for the man when he got out of the operating room, once again leaving Arthur alone in the glass room. Eventually, the Omega would get bored, and that lead him to the position that he was in now: On his knees, holding a broken Alpha, and trying to sooth the crying boy.

The two sat in silence, even after Alfred’s tears stopped flowing, holding each other for whatever comfort they could find. Arthur kept running his fingers through Alfred’s hair, and Alfred still refused to raise his head to make eye contact with the other. They were content where they were, even the strange looks they received did not faze them. But there were three stares that they should have paid attention to, and soon would tear the two blondes away from their solace that was each other in that moment.

“What the bloody hell is this?!” The first voice blared.

“Who’s that guy Artie’s holdin’?” the second voice added with a softer tone.

“Alfred! Where- Oh,” the third voice sounded shocked.

Arthur’s head shot up, first facing straight ahead to see Gilbert with a confused look on his face, and then he craned his neck back to see two men with the same green eyes as himself. Arthur felt his face become red as he realized the “situation” that he and Alfred were in.

“Scot! Niles!” Arthur tensed. Alfred looked up, eye’s red and puffy, at Allistor and a Beta with dirty blonde hair and dark green eyes. He almost began to wonder who the man was until he saw the man’s eyebrows and just concluded that he had to be one of Arthur’s relatives. The two Alphas’ eyes met, one tired the other furious.

“Get yer muddy paws off of him!” Allistor howled at he stormed over and grabbed Arthur’s collar and pulled him up to his feet, causing Alfred to let go before slowly getting up himself.

“Al,” Gilbert spoke as he walked towards the small group, eying the oldest Kirkland brother, “I called Mattie. He, your mother, and Hehewuti are on their way here,”

Alfred nodded slowly to the older Alpha before turning around to face the Allistor, “Alright, you guys got him, “he pointed at Arthur, “Now _leave_ ,” The Alpha spoke quietly before turning around and leaving towards the room his father was currently residing in. Scot felt his face get red with anger at the command that the younger Alpha gave him, almost ready to drop Arthur and charge Alfred. However, Gilbert stepped in, blocking the red-head’s view of the retreating blonde. They stared each other down, until everyone in the group heard a loud slam of a door.

Gilbert let out a sigh before looking Scot in the eye, “I’d apologize for him, but that wouldn’t do any good,” He chuckled before dropping his smile, letting a serious air surround him. “You really shouldn’t be here. This is a hard time for this family and I don’t think having near-strangers around will do them any good,”

Scot raised a brow, but before he could open his mouth, the Beta brother interjected, “That boy seemed pretty _comfortable_ with Artie, though,”

Everyone went quiet before turning to the ruby faced Omega. Everything stayed quiet and awkward for a few minutes before Arthur coughed, “We really should get going. Mums probably having a hernia right now from all of us being gone,” And with that, Arthur began towards the exit, with his brothers following close behind.

Gilbert let out a low groan of annoyance, “What the hell is wrong with that family?”

Alfred was sitting next to the bed, talking to his father’s still unconscious body.

“What is going to happen?”

_Silence._

“I hope it doesn’t hurt too much,”

_Silence._

“I promise I’ll take care of Mom and Mattie,”

_Silence._

“… Well, Gilbert will take care of Mattie at least,”

_Silence._

“… This really is it, huh?” Alfred looked down at his father’s face, feeling another tear roll down his face. It was morbidly funny to the Alpha boy; to keep on crying when you think you’ve run out of tears. So many things were going to change in his life. His mother would probably want to move back to their own house, Matthew was going to go live with Gilbert, and his grandmother would have to pick another one of her children to become heir.

‘ _Heh, I bet all those assholes are going to be throwing a party as soon as they hear the news,’_ Alfred thought bitterly. His father’s death meant that his father’s brothers and sisters could grab the title as “Heir”, and knowing his family, Alfred knew that his relatives wouldn’t even bat an eye towards his own family for any financial help after his grandmother also left the earth. That meant that Alfred would have to start working as soon as possible to help support him and his mother. ‘ _At least Mattie will be-‘_

Before Alfred could finish his thought, said Omega came bursting into the room. “Alfred!” Matthew yelled… or at least tried to yell.

“Shh!” Alfred chastised as he pointed towards their still sleeping father.

Matthew stopped instantly, looking towards the bed and his father’s stilled body. As soon as Matthew halted, a woman came up behind him, panting slightly from walking quickly.

In a hushed tone, the baby blue eyed Omega looked into the room, “Oh my god…” Her breath hitched, “No, no, no, no, no!” She cried as she rushed past the younger Omega to the bedside. “Dear?” She tried called to the sleeping man, but no response came. She looked up at Alfred, her eyes beginning to water, “Alfred, what’s wrong with him?”

Alfred looked at his mother before shaking his head slowly, “He has a tumor Mom. They,” Alfred took in a shaky breath before continuing, “Can’t do anything to save him,”

That one statement caused everyone in the room to become still in unbelief. Alfred stood strong as he watched the information sink in for his mother and brother. After a few minutes, a crop of white hair appeared in the door way behind Matthew.

“Alfred,” Gilbert spoke quietly to not startle the two newly informed people in the room. “Your Head Alpha would like to see you,”

Alfred felt his heart skip a beat. His grandmother was requesting him, which meant that she would confirm that Alfred would be degraded from being in line for Head Alpha. Gilbert moved towards Matthew and wrapped his arms around his fiancé while Alfred slowly walked pass them and out the door. As the teen walked down the hall, his mind remained blank as to not to become angry. The importance of linage and title of the Head Alpha of one’s family was one that rose above all other concerns, even death. It was the importance of every Head Alpha to ensure that the family line would continue on through a strong heir so that the family would continue to be led by a strong Alpha. So if their heir was to fail in any way, it was perfectly acceptable for the title of heir to be dropped from said Alpha and given to another family member. However, with Alfred in limbo on his title, the complete loss of his title was in every way suitable for the situation at that current moment. Soon, through his thoughts, Alfred looked up and there, sat in a chair with her legs and arms crossed and head bowed in thought, was Hehewuti. Alfred thought about running for a moment, but even if he wasn’t the first to hear it, his loss of title would soon be known by the whole family any way.

“Head Alpha,” Alfred lowly addressed.

Raising her head slowly, her black hair fell from her shoulder as she looked up at her grandson, “Alfred,” she spoke calmly before patting the chair next to her, motioning for the younger Alpha to sit. Alfred sat down next to her and sighed, keeping his eyes away from the older woman.

“So,” Hehewuti began, “How are you?”

Alfred looked up at her in confusion. “What?”

“I said ‘How are you’? “ She smirked at him with a look that said “What are you? Deaf?”

Alfred studied her face for a while, to figure out if she was joking or not, before standing up and almost yelling, “ _How am I feeling?!_ Are you kidding me?! My dad is dying, my mother is about to have an emotional break down, you’re here to tell me that I’m no longer heir, and you ask me _how I’m feeling_?!” Alfred felt something bubble up, and before he knew it, he was _laughing_. Not a gentle snicker that someone would give at a knock-knock joke, but rather one that a maniac would give as he looked down at his murdered victim. He looked down at his grandmother, who gazed back at him with a pitying face, before he felt his heart become heavy and he sat back down and, for the second time that night, cried. He felt so _alone._ His world was crumbling and there was nothing he could do to stop it, but as he felt that he was drowning in his own tears and fears, a pair of strong arms pulled him in and began to cradle his body.

“It’s okay, Al. It’s okay,” Hehewuti chanted as she rocked her grandson back and forth.

Alfred hated every essence of his being in that moment. He had shown weakness twice in less than a whole hour and had been given pity by the strongest and the weakest people he knew. He almost slapped himself for being so weak, but Hehewuti gently patted his head.

“Don’t worry, everything will be okay,” Hehewuti smiled. “I know this might be a little soon, and I swear to god that if you take this as a motion of ‘pity’ I will slap you, but I’ve decided to let you retain your title,”

Alfred looked up her, his head starting to hurt form the confusion of his grandmother’s words. “Why?”

“I don’t think I really need a reason, do I?” she answered smugly.

Alfred let his head drop. While one might think that this news brought a sort of comfort to the Alpha boy, they would be sorely wrong. But, Alfred knew he was in no position to demand any sort of information from the Head Alpha and let her decision be.

“Alfred,” a quiet voice called and both Alphas looked up to see Matthew walking towards them. “He’s waking up,”


	14. Of Funerals and Last Memories

_If one was to describe heaven, how would they do it? Most churches say that it is a glorious place where God and all the good people that have died live. Some scientist claim that it doesn’t exist and was created by the human psych to bring ease to the unnerving idea of what happens after someone stops breathing and their heart stops pumping blood.  But, who really knows? What happens to a person’s soul when their body stops working? Where does it go? Does anyone truly know? And if people did know, would they take their lives for granted even more than they already do?_

_Is that the point of the mystery of death? To make people live their lives to the fullest? But what if you can’t live to the fullest, what then? Did you fail at living? What if someone else cheats and takes away a life? Did the victim fail at living? What if someone was pushed over the edge and decided to end all their pain and suffering before living out their dreams? Did they fail at living? What if a man who was a husband, a son, a brother, and a father of two boys, was to be told that he had, at the most, 24 hours to live? Did that man fail at living?_

Alfred stood on a grassy hill in a clearing in the forest behind his grandmother’s house. Everyone (Mattie, his mother, the Head Alpha, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and even business CEOs that barely knew anything about his family other than that the man they were there for was a good partner to have in any deal) were gathered behind him. Everyone was dressed in black and white, making them look as if they were from a picture of the old world before the Great Death. Alfred stood solemnly as he looked in front of him where a hole that was seven feet deep with a black with silver trimming coffin placed at the bottom and in it was the corpse of the late Alexander Jones. Alfred, unlike all those that he headed, refused to shed any more tears. He couldn’t, not in that current moment with everyone watching him: the Alpha who would break tradition and take up the family title of Head Alpha after his grandmother’s own passing. He now had a much larger image to uphold, even in the face of death.

After ten minutes of respectful silence, Hehewuti walked forward with her head held high and slowly gripped a handful of dirt with her black lace covered hands and mindlessly sprinkled the dirt onto the coffin, quiet pitter-patter sounding from the hole. She began to speak in a tongue that Alfred could not understand, and yet the feeling of heavy sadness was clear in the air as the older woman said her final goodbyes to her oldest child. The attendees each took their turns to come forward and drop a single white rose into the ground, then exited the grounds until only the immediate family of the mother, spouse, brothers, sisters, and children of Alexander Jones were left.

Once only the family was left, Alfred picked up one of the shovels standing by the grave and shoveled some dirt from the upturned dirt pile and returned it from whence it came. Shovel full, after shovel full of dirt was thrown back into the grave, silence being the only comfort the family felt as they watched the young Alpha buried his father. He continued to shovel the dirt until a slight mound stood where the hole once was, his black suit was covered in the burial dirt and sweat, and the sun was setting into dusk. Alfred kneeled down and patted the earth gently, bowing his head and sat in silence until a pat on the shoulder brought Alfred out of his silent prayers and back to a quickly darkening sky and heavy eyes that watched as the young Alpha stood before them. *

Not a word was spoken as Hehewuti lead the family back through the small path that lead to the back yard of the Jones family mansion. The walkway was about half a mile long, covered by now browning trees that were preparing for the coming winter as they allowed their green leaves to slip into yellow blanket of sleep. As Alfred walked behind everyone else, bringing up the rear, he couldn’t help but think back to the last few hours of his father’s life.

_The air was still when Matthew returned with Alfred and Hehewuti in tow, the only real motions being Mrs. Jones rubbing her hand across her ill mate’s own. Hehewuti stayed by the door as she watched Matthew advance towards the hospital bed and Alfred walk towards a chair that was up against the wall, being about ten feet away from his family. The boy’s eyes were still red from his most recent breakdown, and as he sat in the lone chair, he looked down at his hands as he contemplated what was going on around him._

_“Alfred,” a hoarse voice called out._

_Alfred swallowed hard before looking towards his father. It was like looking into an aging mirror, identical eyes looking at each other, but one had slight crow’s feet wrinkles and his eye brows were beginning to gray. Alfred watched as the man’s mouth changed into a sad smile, as if to say “I’m sorry”, and Alfred felt his own lips curl into a similar smile as to say “It’s alright”. They stayed that way for a while, wanting time to freeze so that neither would have to speak, and no one would have to say “goodbye”. It was then that it occurred to Alfred just how old his father was, or better yet, how much the man’s illness had aged him with his greying hairs, pale skin, the scrawny figure of the once strong and powerful Alpha that made a young Alfred shout out with joy as he lassoed cattle out on their ranch. The man that sat before Alfred wasn’t the man that the younger Alpha remembered, only an empty, dying shell of said man. They continued to stare at each other for some time before Hehewuti asked if she could have a moment alone with Alexander, her statement more of a command than a request, and all those present obeyed and left quickly._

_Alfred didn’t know what progressed inside the hospital room as he, his mother, Matthew, and Gilbert all stood out in the hallway, but he knew that when that when his mother opened the door he saw something he would never forget. Hehewuti stood above her eldest son, holding his hand up against her face as she cried against the nearly white skin. Both were in tears, but the only thing that Alfred could hear his grandmother repeating a mixture of foreign sounds that he could only assume to be the native tongue of his grandmother’s ancestors: Nu' umi unangwa'ta.* After the words were spoken, the older Alpha laid her son’s hand back down and leaned forward to kiss the top of Alexander’s head, whispering regrets and apologies before pulling away and nodding towards the others._

_The next few hours were spent with the exchanging of stories, sad laughs, and tears. Gilbert stayed the whole time with Matthew, gently easing the Omega anytime he was on the verge of crying, especially as Alexander began to fade in and out of consciousness. Alexander smiled at each of the people in the room, individually acknowledging them._

_“Gilbert, Matthew,” He first addressed, “I leave Matthew to you. Make sure to protect him, or I swear to god I will come back haunt your sorry ass,” He threatening lightly with a quiet chuckle in attempt to lighten the mood “And Matthew,” His voice became gentle, “I love you my boy, and I’m so sorry that neither your mother nor I will be there on your important day,” his voice began to trail off before coming back with more resolve, “But promise me that you will still have the ceremony the day you planned,” He smiled with tears in the corners of his eyes, “That way both of us can be sure to be there in spirit at least,” Matthew nodded slowly as his grip on Gilbert’s shirt tightened, who stood tall and firm._

_He then moved his sights to his mate who was sitting to his left by the window, “Dear, please don’t cry. This is part of life, you know that,” He smiled and rubbed her hand as the woman slowly nodded her head that she held low. “I want you to stay happy after all this is over, so please do what you feel is right with your life,”_

_After those words, Alexander looked at his own mother but neither said a word. They merely locked eyes and nodded towards each other, identically sad smiles shown on both their faces._

_He then finally turned toward Alfred, his smile growing larger as he looked at his oldest child, “Alfred, I know that you will take care of everyone, I don’t even need to ask,” Alfred nodded in agreement. “But,” Alexander continued as his face became serious in nature, “Promise me this one thing: Please, for your own sake, learn to not live up to other people’s expectations. It’s your life son, not theirs,”_

_Alfred stared at his father for a bit, letting the man’s last words to him sink in. It was strange, really, knowing that it was going to be the last thing that someone said to you, but still foolishly hoping that the next morning they would be there at the dinner table, reading the morning paper, just like always. But Alfred knew better than that. He also knew that these last minutes would be the last time he would ever hear his father’s voice, and thus requested one thing, “Dad, could you do me a favor?”_

_Alexander looked at his son with a questioning look before nodding slowly, “I’ll try,”_

_Alfred then quickly pulled out his cell phone, tapping away at the touch screen before looking back at his father. “Could you… say that one more time?” Alfred asked as he held up his phone. It took a moment for the older man to comprehend just what his son was doing, but when he did, he felt his heart break at the same realization that the younger Alpha had come to. Alexander slowly took his son’s wrist and brought the phone close to his chest before repeating his advice. After he had finished his last words to his son, Alfred tried to retrieve his hand from the other man, but the man’s grip was firm as he spoke once more into the phone, but his eyes were turned towards his son, his words turned towards his son’s ears and heart._

_“I really do love you Alfred. You, your mother, your brother… I love every single one of you,”  The man smiled as he let a tear fall and released Alfred’s hand, who brought the device back to his lap before pushing the ‘off’ button on his phone’s recorder._

It was only another half hour of ‘goodbyes’ and ‘I love you’ s till Alexander Jones left the world on November 1st, at 2:34 PM from the complete failure of his heart. Then, keeping to the most ancient traditions of their family, on the 4th day after his death, he was laid to rest.*

The family had decided that they would stay in mourning for one week before Hehewuti would announce who would be the next Head Alpha, much to her other children’s distraught. While they waited however, Hehewuti was going over the responsibilities of the role of head Alpha with Alfred, trying to get him to learn as much as he could before he was presented to the rest of the family. Luckily, he caught on quickly. But, there was one glaring requirement of a “qualifying Alpha” that stood in his way: He needed a mate. In order for one to be Head Alpha, they must ensure the prosperity of the family by being able to have their own children, which was something Alfred could (at that moment in time) not do. He knew that this would be a problem.

His grandmother had chosen him as heir, yes, but who knew how long her protection would last? Due to the recent events, Alfred knew just how quickly someone could leave the earth and Hehewuti was no exception. But, that meant that to secure his title, Alfred would need to find a mate soon, but that could be taken care of with just a simple arranged marriage. Alfred personally hated the idea of arranged marriages, but if it had to be done, then he would suck it up and marry whomever that his grandmother found fitting for the family.

I wasn’t until the Friday after the funeral that Alfred and Matthew returned to the school, many sending their condolences in the hallways as the brothers walked by. The rest of the day was just a blur for the two boys as they went from class to class, and by the end of it, both were emotionally and mentally exhausted. Alfred had been excused from practice that day, and decided to just go straight home so that he could sleep and hopefully get his brain to work again, or at least, that was the plan.

As Alfred sluggishly walked out to his car, he noticed someone standing by the passenger side door, a ragged, blonde crop of hair being the only thing he could see over the top of the car. As he eventually came closer, the body moved towards the front of the car, giving Alfred not only a clear view of the person, but also one hell of a headache. Once reaching the car, Alfred and Arthur stared at each other before nodding and getting in car on their separate sides.

The drive was quiet for the most part; no music was played, not a word was spoken. Or, that was how it was until Arthur noticed the houses that they were driving by. “Alfred? Where are we going?”

Arthur didn’t get an answer, as Alfred was in his own world completely. The boy had blocked out everything besides his pounding headache and the road in front of him, even relying on motor memory to drive. Arthur had apparently taken the silence as an answer and leaned back in his chair, waiting to find out exactly where they were going. The houses and property seemed to grow larger in size with each one they passed, until they finally came upon a drive way that went up a hill, hiding everything but the white roof of occupying house. Just as Alfred was about to roll down his window and punch in the passcode, he looked over to Arthur, who still held a questioning look on his face.

‘ _Fucking shit! Someone kill me now,’_ Alfred thought as he let his forehead hit the steering wheel, realize just where he had taken Arthur to instead of the other blonde’s home. Arthur jumped as the horn went off, trying to connect the dots as to what was going on with the Alpha next to him.

“Alfred, are you alright?” Arthur asked as he pulled Alfred’s shoulder back, pulling his head away from the steering wheel and its horn.

“No,” Alfred said blatantly and he looked at the gates in front of them.

Arthur was taken aback at the Alpha’s straight forwardness. He was about to question before Alfred started up again.

“My dad’s dead, my mom won’t say a word, Grandmother is trying to get me to be a ‘proper’ heir, everyone’s going to want my head when they find out she picked me as heir, Matthew asked if I would give him away and still wants me to sing at his Bonding Ceremony that I don’t even want to be there for, and to top it all off, I’m complaining about my life to some AB Omega who shouldn’t have to put with my shit,” Alfred rambled, his eyes never leaving their spot on the gates.

Arthur stared at the other, trying to understand everything that Alfred said, until he became uncomfortable with the position he was in and leaned back in the chair just like Alfred. Arthur let out a sigh, “You’re right. I really shouldn’t have to put up with your ‘shit’,” He turned his head towards Alfred, who eventually felt Arthur’s eyes on him and turned his head as well, their eye’s connecting. “But,” Arthur let his hand hesitantly pat Alfred’s, “I guess if you need someone to vent to, some AB Omega is better than no one,” As soon as the words left his mouth, Arthur felt his face go red and he retreated his hand and turned his face so that he was looking out the window.

Alfred didn’t know what to say. He just stared at the back of Arthur’s head for a while before chuckling, and then breaking out into full on laughter, causing the Omega to give him a death glare. Alfred stopped for a bit, looking at Arthur as to say “I’m not laughing at you”, before bringing his hand up to tousle the other’s hair. “Well, I guess you are better than nothing,” Alfred confirmed as he pulled away. The two boys sat in comfortable silence as they stared at the gates. “Well, I better get you home, huh?” Alfred asked after a bit. He was about to put the car in reverse, until another car came up behind him.

“Yo, Alfred! Move your car!” A very familiar, German accented, voice called.                                                      

“Gilbert, shut up and move yours! I have to back out!” Alfred yelled back. He then turned towards Arthur and whispered half serious, half joking, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can’t wait till his and Matthew’s bonding. Then I won’t have to see his face around here as often anymore,” To which Arthur chuckled a bit as he felt the car start to move backwards.

As the car came down the short drive way, Arthur looked out his window, to see a certain albino staring at him out of his own window before said albino opened his door to step out and yelled, “Alfred, if you’re trying to get laid at least by him dinner before bringing him home! Kesesesesesese!”

Both blondes went red at the accusation. Arthur looked down at the floor board, trying to hide his face, but then an idea struck him. “Alfred,” Arthur whispered, “Are you going to use the water bottle down here?” Alfred looked at where Arthur had pointed and shook his head ‘no’. Arthur gave him a coy smile before picking up the container, twisting the cap off and chucking it at the laughing Alpha and quickly turning towards Alfred and shouted, “Drive!”  Soon, Alfred and Arthur were down the road, running away from a thoroughly soaked (and pissed) Gilbert.


	15. Of Stupid American Sports and Jealousy

It was cold, but to Arthur, it was freezing. The Omega was bundled up in his usual uniform, but with an additional two sweaters, a jacket, scarf, and earmuffs that helped in blocking out the cold wind that blew during the evenings in November. Arthur was sitting on the bleachers up on the football field with Feliciano, Lovino, and Antonio, waiting for Alfred and Ludwig to finish the last practice of the year before their final game that would happen the following day.

“Why the bloody hell do we have to sit  _outside_  of all places?” the disgruntled Omega muttered to himself. “Oh, that’s right. Because a certain French bastard took the librarian away on a vacation for the week,” He spoke up to emphasize the ‘French bastard’ part to Antonio who was currently trying to hold Lovino. Antonio looked at Arthur and laughed before finally getting Lovino into his lap, snuggling into the struggling Omega’s neck. Arthur decided to block the two out, as their “fights” ended up in snogging and talking about their baby; not exactly something Arthur wanted to be part of. Instead, he turned his attention to the field where Alphas and Betas were running and tackling one another like wild animals just for some oblong ball.

 

Arthur found the idea of “American football” pointless really, and had it not been for the fact that he still had to be taken home every day by Alfred, the Omega would be home under a warm blanket with some tea instead of freezing his ass off in the cold Autumn air. It was strange though, as Arthur felt some of the players looking up at them. But then again, it was strange for people to come to practice; even the mates of the Alphas on the team rarely came to watch them practice. But Arthur didn’t really have a choice in the matter, as he had told Alfred that he and Feliciano were supposed to study until practice got out. However, the only place that one could really “study” at was the library, which wasn’t open; hence Arthur’s frustration with Francis and his whims.

Within an hour, practice had finally come to an end, and Arthur followed the Spaniard and the Italians out to the parking lot to wait for the other two Alphas to meet up with them. It was in this moment that Arthur had realized just how strange the people accompanying really were.  As they walked through the school grounds, Lovino kept on complaining about back pains, Feliciano wouldn’t shut up about Ludwig or about what he was thinking about cooking for dinner, and Antonio kept on laughing like everything that was coming out of the brothers’ mouths were the most hilarious jokes he had ever heard. Arthur shook his head with a smile.

‘ _They’re a strange, but happy group,’_

It had become a sort of ritual for Alfred and Arthur to vent and talk about their days with each other on their way to Arthur’s home, and some times, the Alpha would even take the long way through town just so they could continue their conversations. That day was no different, but instead of complaining about teachers and homework, Alfred posed a question to start the conversation instead.

“Hey, are you coming to the game tomorrow?”

Arthur’s head went up in confusion, “I wasn’t planning on it, no. Why?”

Alfred shifted in his seat a bit before continuing, “I was just wondering. I mean, pretty much everyone in the school is coming, so…” Alfred started to trail off.

“’So’ what?” Arthur questioned. Part of him was annoyed at Alfred’s beat-around-the-bush behavior, and yet, another part of him actually did want to go to the game. He couldn’t help but imagine Alfred panting, sweaty, and his muscles showing…

“Well, I just wanted to know, ‘cause Mattie was wondering,” Alfred broke Arthur’s thought process.

Arthur looked at the Alpha, and perhaps it was the lighting of the setting sun, but Arthur swore that he saw something on Alfred’s face. “Hey,” Arthur spoke, “Are you blushing?”

Arthur was about to poke Alfred’s cheek, but before he could even lift his hand, the car swerved as Alfred dodged a small orange and white cat that had run out into the middle of the road. Arthur was thrown up against the window, hitting his head with a loud ‘thud’.

“Shit,” Alfred breathed as he corrected his position on the road. “Hey, are you alright?” he turned his head quickly to see Arthur rubbing the side of his head.

“Yes, I think so. But be more careful! You could’ve gotten us killed!” Arthur scolded.

Alfred stole a couple of quick glances of the Omega while driving before smiling, “You know, you’re pretty loud,”

Arthur glared at the Alpha, “Well you’re the one that can seem to drive,”

“Do you even have a license?”

Arthur stopped himself from responding before looking out the window in humiliation. It wasn’t uncommon for Omegas to not have a driver’s license, in fact it was pretty rare for one to be able to drive.  However, for Arthur, who had failed the driver’s test four times, it was a sore subject.

The rest of the car ride was silent except for the music drifting in through the speakers. The sun was almost fully hidden behind the mountains in the distance, but the red glow that followed it was warm and beautiful, peacefully even. Arthur smiled as he got out of the car and, just before closing the door behind him, said, “I suppose I can make time for your silly American game tomorrow. Just don’t use your brother as an excuse anymore,”

(Line Break)

The night was cool, but warmer than it had been the past few evenings as the football team gathered on the field to stretch before getting ready for the final game of the year. The team wasn’t exactly the best, and didn’t make it to the next level of competition, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t going to try their hardest for their final game. As the game started, almost everyone in the school had gathered on the stands, cheering so loud that if there had been a cemetery nearby the dead would be joining them.  Arthur had wedged himself on the far right side, being surrounded by other students and their parents, or in his case, a certain someone’s brother.

“SEND THEM BACK HOME WITH THEIR TAILS BETWEEN THEIR LEGS, WEST!” Gilbert screamed from the stands, causing Arthur to cover his ears from the ringing sound that came after.

‘ _Is that really necessary?’_  Arthur mentally seethed as he turned his attention away from the overly excited man.

The game started out smoothly, the home team staying ahead by seven points all the way till half time where the two competing cheerleading teams joined together to perform a series of various throws, jumps, and tricks. Everyone cheered and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, everyone except for Arthur, who thought the whole thing was pointless and the cheerleaders were showing a little too much skin. It was obvious that half of their high school’s cheer team were female Betas trying to have the looks of an Alpha and the “feminine” touch of an Omega, all of which Arthur found ironic. There he was, an AB Omega with those traits (even the good looks according to himself), sitting in the stands, hidden away from all the people standing and cheering while those girls that tried so hard for attention got exactly that for fifteen minutes.

After the performance, the cheer teams joined their football teams and chatted while waiting for the game to continue, un-mated Betas and Omegas flirting with the Alphas and Betas on each team. Arthur watched in boredom as people came and went from their seats to the concessions stand, almost falling asleep until Matthew showed up next to him.

“Hello Arthur,”

“Ah, Matthew, hello,” Arthur stated without turning his attention from the field. Something had caught his eye, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. It was shiny, or better yet  _they_  were shiny, and blue. In the back of his head, Arthur heard Matthew speaking to him, but it wasn’t important. No, what was important in that moment was that Alfred was looking straight up at Arthur, both of them locking eyes before the Alpha closed his own and smiled before rejoining his team as the buzzer sounded for the game to resume. For some reason, after he had noticed Alfred on the field and what number he was, the game became interesting to the AB Omega as he watched the visible muscles in Alfred’s arms and legs constrict and relax as he threw the ball to his teammates. He noticed the gleaming sweat that ran down his limbs as he ran, and the way his body looked even stronger under all that padding and plastic. However, what Arthur didn’t notice the increasing number of touchdowns that the other team was making.

“This doesn’t look good,”

Arthur snapped out of his trance to look at Matthew, “What?”

“The other team,” Matthew pointed to the scoreboard that showed that the opposing team had a fifteen point lead, “They’re beating us with only four minutes to go,”

Arthur turned his attention back to the field with a fairly panicked expression. Alfred’s body was heaving with deep breaths as he looked around at his friends. He knew they were losing, and there wasn’t much they could do except hope for a chance to tie with the other team and throw the game into overtime. Looking towards Ludwig and the others, Alfred laid out the game plan before breaking. They lined up and prepared to put on a show that they could be proud of.

It all happened so quickly, yet every moment was clear in Alfred’s mind. They had managed to get the first touchdown, but at the cost of the running back’s ACL when he dodged two incoming defensemen at the same time on his way to the touch down zone instead of taking the tackle on the 5 yard line.

‘ _Idiot,’_  Alfred thought as he looked around in the locker room. They had lost, but they had put up a fight, and that was what counted. However, there was something still bothering Alfred, but he didn’t know what it was. He looked up at his teammates and noticed that some of the guys were missing, but shook it off. They had lost the game, and he couldn’t blame anyone that didn’t want to be there any longer for the night.

(Line Break)

The metal chain link fence was cold against his bare arms, and the powerful hands that held him there felt like they were on fire in contrast. The taunting words of the men and women surrounding him sounded muffled and drowned out, but a few words came through clearly:

_“Useless”_

_“Whore”_

_“Omega”_

_…._

_“Freak”_

Arthur tried to look up at the men and women that surrounded him, but his head was push back up towards the sky by the force of his body being dropped to the ground. As he sat on the dirt floor behind the guest bleachers, Arthur tried to figure out just how he ended up there. ‘ _I was with Matthew, packing up after the game ended… and then… then one of the football players and a cheerleader showed up. Yeah… they told us that Alfred had hurt himself… but as we ran to the locker rooms… what happened after that?’_ Arthur let out a raspy, annoyed sigh, ‘ _We ran to the locker rooms… but I didn’t make it there. No, that’s right, I didn’t make it there because that girl pulled me aside and pulled me back here! But why?’_

“I heard AB’s are tricky little bastards that are able to blend in with any S.I. Group!”

“I heard that they were originally created in a lab by some jilted Beta scientist to break down the Social Importance system itself!”

“They’re weird,”

“They’re unnatural,”

“They’re right down freaks of nature!”

‘ _Ah, they found out about **that**. But no one has ever actually beaten me up for it before…’ _  Arthur looked up at his school mates, seeing their faces of disgust and disgrace. Those looks burnt Arthur inside, started to tear apart at the side that he had begun to show while at that new school, and by god,  _it hurt._  Then, putting up the barrier that felt all too wrong, yet all too comforting and the smirk to match it, Arthur spoke.

“What’s it matter to you? You’re all trying to be something that you’re not,” Arthur grinned wickedly, “What’s wrong?  _Jealous_  perhaps?”

The fist that made contact with his face was fast and strong, definitely the hand of an Alpha. The foot that hit him on the right side of his ribs hurt, but nothing he couldn’t take. The following blows were similar, but Arthur was able to block half of them. He might not have looked it, but there was some muscle under that thin, Omega frame, and he knew how to use every inch of it. It wasn’t until the Alpha that had thrown the first punch grabbed his arm and threw his back onto the floor did Arthur begin to worry; something wasn’t right about that Alpha. His scent was angry and full of rage, but something else hit Arthur hard: the scent of disappointment. It was a strange scent that not too many were capable of picking up but, throughout the years of coming home after countless fight like this one, Arthur was able to pick it up off of his own parents.

“If it wasn’t for a freak like you distracting Alfred, then we would’ve won!” The young man yelled at Arthur.

Arthur went tense at the accusation. “What the fuck are you talking about?” Arthur seethed.

“I just lost my girlfriend because of this game! She doesn’t want an Alpha that can’t win,” He yelled again, raising his fist in the air, “I thought you were weird, hanging around Al’s brother and going home with him every day. My… ex-girlfriend has ties to the nurse here, so I asked her to look into you, and who would’ve thought what we found out? I guess what they say about AB’s being willing to do anything to fit in is true,” The boy smirked, “Even bringing the best of us down to your level,”

Before the boy could let his fist come down to meet Arthur’s face, a sharp pain went through his arm and his pelvic. Arthur heard one of the girls gasp, but he didn’t care to look at what she was paying attention to; he was too busy kicking the guy on top of him in the crotch. Arthur was thoroughly sick and tired of being accused of doing things to people. It wasn’t his fault the team didn’t work hard enough, or had a better strategy, and like hell was he going to let some asshole blame him for all his problems.  Arthur put his hands up, suspecting the man’s body to fall on him, but he seemed to stay in the same place, hovering above the Omega. Moving his head to the side to look pass the face of the student above him, Arthur saw a familiar pair of eyes.

“Alright, enough of that,” Alfred stated as he looked at the others surrounding them. “Take this guy home, and don’t any of you talk about this, got it?” He growled as his teammates nodded and carried there friend off.

Arthur sat in both shock and disgust, not knowing which his face showed in that moment, but he didn’t really care; He was just rescued, by an Alpha. Just the thought of it left a bittersweet taste in his mouth, as he had always read of things like this happening to Omegas in fairytales, but at the same time, Arthur didn’t need an Alpha to protect him, especially Alfred Jones. Said Alpha turned towards him, Alfred’s face changing from anger to concern in a matter of seconds.

“Are you alright?!” Alfred reached for Arthur’s face, running his right thumb over a bleeding scratch on the Omega’s cheek, “Let’s get you to the-“

Before Alfred could finish, Arthur swatted away the hand on his face, a firm scowl now sat on his lips, “I don’t need any help. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” Arthur stated as he started to stand. The pain in his stomach hadn’t gone away yet, and he was pretty sure that he had something to his ankle, but that wasn’t going to stop him from getting away from the pitying Alpha. He, Arthur Kirkland, was not to be pitied in any way or form. But before he could go very far, a hand wrapped around his wrist, firm but gentle.

“You’re not okay,” Alfred pulled the Omega closer, “The way you’re limping indicates that you’ve probably sprained your ankle, and God knows what else they did to you,” Alfred concluded before lifting Arthur up into his arms like a porcelain doll. “I’ll take you to my house, my mom was a nurse, I’m sure she’ll be able to help you,”

Arthur was on the verge of tears. Whether they be from anger, disgrace, or happiness, he couldn’t tell, but, like a second nature, his mouth opened to respond with words that he had said so many times before, “I don’t need any help! I can take care-“

“No, you cannot! You are hurt, and therefore you need help! Why is that so hard for you to accept?!” Alfred yelled back at Arthur, his Alpha instincts kicking in to hold Arthur tighter so that he couldn’t escape.

The two stared at each other for a while, Alfred’s glare fierce and unwavering and Arthur’s face seemed shocked and scared under a mask of anger and disgust. After a few moments of breathing and calming down, Alfred convinced Arthur to just let him take him to his mother so that she could at least make sure he didn’t break anything, to which reasoning Arthur reluctantly agreed to go to the Alpha’s house.

The drive was long and silent. Arthur was tired, but the pain kept him awake, and he didn’t feel like speaking to Alfred, who kept on looking over at the Omega as if to make sure he wasn’t dead. ‘ _God… it was just a fight. It’s not like I was tortured,’_ Arthur glared at the road in front of them before sighing and resting his head against the glass of the window.

Once the boys arrived at the Jones’ house (or a mansion from Arthur’s point of view), Arthur was introduced to Mrs. Jones and Alfred explained what had happened. She brought Arthur into her room and did a simple check-up of making sure he could move various joints and do certain stretches without too much pain, and concluded that he might have bruised a couple ribs and had sprained his ankle. She was a nice lady, Arthur had decided, as she spoke to him as she looked him over, telling him that it might be best for him to stay at their house for the night so she could keep a close eye on him.  Thus, bringing Arthur to the situation that was the Jones family.


	16. Of Injuries and Head Alphas

The Jones family was, in a word,  _unique_. Arthur had only been in one of the (many) guest bedrooms on the ground floor for the night for five minutes before a maid came in, her large red ribbons bouncing around in her hair as she walked. She was followed by Alfred who carried pillows, sheets and blankets, setting them down on the bed and looking around the room in curiosity. Arthur watched as both the maid and Alfred worked on making the bed, feeling a tad bit guilty and awkward at the fact that he wasn’t doing anything to help.

“Um, excuse me, but is there anything I can do to help?” Arthur asked meekly as he tried to rise from the chair that he was sitting in.

 

The maid turned around quickly and told him to just relax. However, once she did a quick double take, and gasped loudly, she quickly walked up to the Omega and asked what had happened to his face; her large brown eyes only inches away from Arthur’s green ones, searching for the answer in them. She continued to stare at Arthur for a few moments until a false cough broke the awkward silence and had drawn everyone in the room’s attention to the quiet figure standing in the door frame.

“Angelique, I think the Head Alpha will be back soon. Why don’t you go help Mrs. Laurinaitis with dinner?”  Matthew suggested as he walked in to the room, stopping to stand next to his brother. Angelique nodded before quickly leaving the room and Matthew sighed, “Please excuse her. She’s new here, so-“

“Aw, come on Mattie, she was just curious,” Alfred jumped in to the absent servant girl’s defense, “And besides, I’m sure  _Artie_  didn’t mind, right?” Alfred sent a smile Arthur’s way.

“It’s  _Arthur_ , Alfred. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t butcher my name like that, and to answer your question: no, I didn’t mind,” Arthur stated as he tried to get up out of the chair again, but his aching ribs cried for him to just sit still. Arthur let out an agitated sigh as he sat back down, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair as he massaged his temples. “This whole situation is giving me a headache,”

Alfred then let out a laugh that Arthur hadn’t heard since the first time he had met the Alpha, and quite frankly, he couldn’t say that he had missed it in the least. “Hahahahaha, well that’s what you get for picking fights with football players!” Arthur shot the obnoxious boy a glare that would have sent a junk yard guard dog running back to its doghouse.

The AB Omega went to retort, but Matthew stepped in before the two went at it, “I-I think dinner should be done by now, why don’t we go eat?”  The other two boys looked at the Omega, but before Arthur had the chance to respond, he felt himself being lifted out of the chair and into a familiar pair of arms.

“What in god’s name are you doing you idiot?!” Arthur screeched in Alfred’s ear as the Alpha cradled his body into a pose that was similar to that of groom carrying his mate after a Bonding Ceremony.

“Well, besides letting you make me go deaf, I’m carrying you to dinner. You’re still hurt and can’t walk, so I’ll carry you,” Alfred stated as he rubbed his ear that was now ringing.

Arthur looked towards Matthew for help, but the Omega looked like he was about to break out into a fit of laughter at the scene before him. Arthur looked up at Alfred, then to where Alfred’s hand was on his shoulder, and finally to the other hand that happen to be on his thigh, a little close so a certain area for the Omega’s comfort. He was about to complain again until Alfred tried to get a better grip on him, moving his hands closer together and unknowingly stopped his hand on a  _very_ sensitive part of the smaller’s skin. Arthur felt his whole body go tense. “I-I’m not really a-all that hungry… I think I should j-just stay here,” Arthur whispered with a shuddering breath. ‘ _Oh god…’_  Arthur thought as he held back a moan.

Alfred gave the Omega a smile, oblivious to what he was doing to Arthur, “Oh come on, you said you were hungry on the way over here! And besides, Grandma’s going to be there and I’m pretty sure she going to want to see you,” Alfred spoke as he advanced towards the door and then down the hallway to the dining room on the other side of the house, Matthew trailing close behind.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Alfred’s hand was right on the section of Arthur’s leg that met his ass, Arthur would have been fighting the Alpha for the freedom of his body. But with Alfred touching  _that_  place, Arthur couldn’t even think straight, so he kept quiet in fear that if he did open his mouth, a yearning moan would come out. To keep his mind from focusing on the slight twitching of fingers that pressed into the overly sensitive nerves of one of the Omega’s many erogenous zones, Arthur tried to think of anything and everything except for Alfred. However, no matter if it was dead puppies or his siblings picking on him, everything went straight to the thoughts of pants and moans as he imagined Alfred and himself rutting up against each other, touching, teasing, kissing.

‘ _Stop it! Don’t think like that!’_  Arthur chastised himself, ‘ _He’s just trying to be nice… surprisingly,’_

“Here we are!” Alfred announced, drawing Arthur away from his thoughts and bring his attention to the room that they were now in. It was grand, white walls with marble floors and a long, rectangular cherry wood table that could fit probably over twenty people with chairs of the same wood and grey velvet on the seats. Behind the table on the other side of the room was a large, ornate granite fireplace with warm dancing flames of a large fire that looked small in comparison to its container. There were a series of windows along the right side of the room that gave a wonderful view of the forest that the backyard disappeared into with the sun almost fully set in the distance.  There hung one chandelier over the center of the table, its circumference twice the width of said table with crystals dangling down that reflected the light of the electric candles that it held. Arthur took all of this in as Alfred continued to walk towards the end of the table which was in front of the fireplace, having Matthew pull out the chair on the right closest to the head of the table and sat the awestruck Omega down in it. 

Soon, Alfred’s mother arrived, and following her was a very exhausted looking Head Alpha. The family took their places with Alfred sitting across from Arthur, his mother next to him, and Matthew across from her, and Hehewuti and the head. The maid from before and an older Beta woman came in with a cart and set out the food dishes in front of the group: salad, creamed corn, smoked salmon, ect before leaving the room as quickly as they had come.

As if someone had just thrown on a switch, the room became noisy with the sound of silverware and plates moving, most of the racket coming from the two Alphas. Arthur hesitantly reached for one of the dishes, but the plate with the salmon quickly disappeared from underneath Arthur’s fork as Alfred pulled the plate closer to himself. The smaller male looked up at the Alpha and frowned as he watched the fatass swallow down two steaks in only a few minutes, successfully causing the AB Omega to lose his appetite. Arthur sat back for a bit and tried to find his elusive urge to eat, but failing at doing so he just sat quietly until a voice in his head that sounded strangely similar to his mother’s reminded him  of manners.

“Um,” Arthur began shakily as he turned towards his hosting family’s head Alpha, “I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here tonight,”

Hehewuti stopped chewing her food for a moment, processing what the Omega had just said. “Ah, yes. You’re quite welcome. Though,” she looked over to her Alpha grandchild who was scarfing down his food, “I do hope that Alfred’s habits of fighting and eating don’t rub off on you anymore,”

“Hew!”Alfred barked before swallowing the mashed up mess of food in his mouth to continue, “Its not my fault he got in a fight! And I don’t get in fights, like ever!” Alfred defended himself.

“Says the guy that tackled our guest to the ground at school,” Matthew mumbled, earning a glare from his older brother.

“Alfred did what?!” Mrs. Jones nearly shrieked.

“Anyway,” Hehewuti spoke loudly to quiet the rest of her family,” I do hope that you realize that sort of behavior is not acceptable at our school,” She spoke sternly, but there was no anger behind her words.

“Yes ma’am,” Arthur nodded. He knew, of course, that the fight that had happened was for a stupid reason and that it had been his own experiences that caused him to further the fight with his retaliations. Arthur knew that it had  _nothing_  to do with Alfred until the Alpha stuck his neck into something that he shouldn’t have. Arthur sighed in frustration of the whole situation as he reached for the salad tongs, a small bit of his hunger returning to him. Arthur only got a few bites in when a maid came in and walked up to him.

“Excuse me sir, but you Mr. Arthur Kirkland?”

“Uh, yes. I am Arthur Kirkland,”

“There is a man on the telephone for you, a Mr. Allistor Kirkland,” The maid stated as she gestured to the main doors, “The phone is right outside this room to the right if you wish to receive it,”

Arthur froze at the mention of his brother. ‘ _How did he get their phone number?!’_ Arthur began to feel a sense of panic rise up in the pit of his stomach. He was about to try and get up, but Alfred beat him to it.

“I’ll get it,” Alfred announced as he stood. He looked at his mother, “You said that he should walk around a lot right?” Mrs. Jones nodded affirmatively. “Then I’ll let him know what happened,” Alfred walked out of the room, locking eyes with Arthur and giving him a nervous smile before leaving.

Hehewuti stood up slowly and stretched as Alfred closed the door behind him, “I have to go prepare for the meeting tonight,“ Her attention turned towards the Omega with violet eyes, “Matthew, I trust that you’ll help Arthur get situated and keep him company?”

“Y-yes, I will,” Matthew nodded.

The older woman smiled, “Alright then. Marie, would you mind helping me? I need copies of the agenda made for all the attendees,” And soon, both of the Jones women were gone after saying their good nights to Arthur as they claimed that they probably wouldn’t be seeing him again until the next day, leaving the two Omegas in the dining room, not knowing what their next move should be.

Matthew and Arthur stayed quiet only looking at each other as they tried to listen in on the conversation that was happening on the other side of those large double doors, but not a sound was heard. The room was still and silent, causing a feeling that if someone was to even breathe, the perfect little world of the perfectly large dining room would be shattered. And it stayed that way, at least until a large crash was heard and Alfred remerged with a very annoyed scowl plastered to his face. The Alpha stormed through the room, not even bothering to question where his mother and grandmother had went as he sat back down in his seat and resumed to eat his food like a starved dog, glaring at his plate all the while.  Arthur stared at the boy, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“Um, what did my brother say?” Arthur asked, his shoulders tensing, preparing for a violent response.

Alfred looked up, his eyes icy and cold, but his response was hot with anger, “Your brother’s an idiot, you know that? He thinks he knows everything, but he doesn’t! He’s hard-headed, won’t listen to reason, and worst of all, he thinks that just because he’s the Head Alpha of your family, he knows what’s best for you!”  

Arthur felt something inside of him hurt at the words, but it they weren’t aimed at him, no they were aimed at his brother. So, even with all the thinking back on his past and his brother, Arthur, for the life of him, couldn’t understand why he did what he did next, but he couldn’t seem to find any reason to regret his words. They came out smooth and quick, but the venom that laid beneath the words were as deadly as the cobras that killed Cleopatra, “You might think his an idiot, but at least he’s not an over sensitive, hypocritical dick,”

Time seemed to stand still in those moments, as poisonous green stared down freezing blue. Certainly, the argument would have escalated had it not been by some miracle that came in the form of a young man with shoulder length brunette hair and skittish blue eyes, “Um, e-excuse me, Alfred? Your Grandmother is asking for you, the meeting of your clan’s Alphas will start in the next hour,”

Alfred stood and looked at the trembling boy, but his glare lost its intensity instantly, “Alright. Tell her I’ll be there in a second Toris,” The boy nodded before leaving the room as quickly as he had come. Alfred then turned his attention to the maids waiting by the door leading to the kitchen, “Do you guys mind cleaning up tonight? I’m on a tight schedule,” The maids nodded with wide, gentle smiles as Alfred turned away from them and walked over to Arthur, leaning down to whisper in the Omega’s ear, “You really should learn not to ‘bite the hand that feeds you’, Mr. Kirkland,”

Arthur felt like he should retaliate, but he soon found in the familiar position of being held in the Alphas arms as Alfred lifted him up and carried him out of the room. The walk back was awkward, as Alfred refused to acknowledge the Omega in his arms, no matter how often Arthur tried to ask him a question or get his attention. Arthur felt his stomach clench in a knot as Alfred refused to talk to him, a feeling of disgrace began to cloud his mind, causing him to do what Omegas were supposed to be the best at: Stay quiet and compliant. Arthur didn’t know why he felt so ashamed, he had only been standing up for his brother who (no matter how much the two didn’t see eye to eye) was not only his brother, but the figure head of his family as Head Alpha. Sure, the title was new, and Allistor didn’t have anyone to show and guide him in the “proper” way of being a Head Alpha, but to insult a family’s Head Alpha was to insult the entire family. This when Arthur felt a wave of anger wash over his body as he grew tense at the recollection of what had just happened at dinner.

‘ _He has no right to criticize Allistor! All Alphas are stubborn as mules and the only time they don’t bitch at others is when things are going their way! They might have the physical strength to lead, but their mental state is far from satisfactory; their like over grown children! And then when they fight each other its nothing but a blood bath! Idiots, All of-‘_ Arthur’s train of thought was disrupted by a throbbing pain in his back as he felt his body fall onto something firm but soft.

“Alfred! Be more gentle, he’s hurt!” Matthew voice was high pitched from trying to yell, but failing miserably as his brother ignored him.

“Now listen here,” Alfred’s voice was quiet but stern, “You’re here in my family’s house, and tonight there is a meeting of all the Alphas in my family,” Alfred leaned down, his hands on either side of Arthur’s head, bringing his face close to send the message of ‘no escape’  through his darkened blue eyes. “You stay here and don’t let any of them see you,” Alfred pulled away and smirked as he looked down at the bright red blush on the Omega’s face, and feeling a strange sense of teasing come upon him said, “Wouldn’t want you pissing any of them off with that big mouth of yours,” And with that the Alpha quickly left the room.

Arthur felt like his blood had turned to stone, as if he had just looked into the eyes of Medusa. Alfred was so close, and Arthur couldn’t help but smell the Alpha’s scent of power, frustration, and a scent that completely foreign to him, but something about it made him feel hot and heavy. The feeling lasted until Alfred opened his mouth to tease the Omega, thus ruining any silly little fantasies that Arthur’s mind was devising. Arthur would have retorted, but the Alpha was gone and Arthur felt the sting of back return as he shifted to try and get into a more comfortable position on the bed. However, finding that no matter how he tried to lay down the pain just became worse, he looked towards his friend and asked Matthew to help him back into the chair that was now by the window.

The room was dark now, with a lack of light save for the moon beams that came through the window, causing the plush green carpet, wooden desk in the far corner, and the canopy bed with purple sheets to melt into the darkness. But, once the switch was thrown into its upwards stance, the room came to life with shadows and colours mingling across the walls and floor. Arthur and Matthew talked for a while, laughing and joking about various memories and people, enjoying their time together as they hadn’t had much of it with Matthew busy with the death of his father, planning his Bonding Ceremony, and trying to keep a leash on his fiancée for the past couple of weeks. They continued their little talk until Matthew offered to go get something for Arthur to wear for the night, leaving the injured Omega alone in the room. Arthur sat in silence, a gentle smile on his face as he thought of his friend and how he soon would be like all of Omegas with a mate and family. Arthur was about to go into one of his self-pity sessions, until a beam of light from outside of the window caught Arthur’s eye.

The beam was coming from a large black car that was driving up the drive way very quickly, the sound of gravel shifting under the weight of the tires loud and clear through the thin glass of the window that Arthur sat on the other side of. As soon as the car had parked, 3 more sets of lights followed behind it, all parking in the front of the round-about by the front door. One by one, each car door was open and total of seven men and women of various ages emerged from the four cars, the five men and two women all sharing the same serious face. Arthur watched quietly through the leaves and thorns of the rose bushes that lined the outside of the house, keeping as still as possible, as something about this group seemed off, something malicious. From what Arthur could see, none of the people spoke to each other and only nodded to acknowledge another’s presence. Arthur tried to get a better look at the men’s and women’s darkened faces, but they became clear as a large light shone on them, Alfred walking out of the front door that Arthur assumed was the source of the light. However, the light was too bright, and the expressions of disgust and annoyance were instantly visible with it as each of the new individuals’ faces became scrunched and compressed. Alfred’s lips moved in what Arthur could only think of as a greeting, but not a single one of the others returned it, instead a larger, older man walked forward and pushed the teenager to the side. They walked past the young Alpha a straight into the house, a loud slamming sound followed, leaving Alfred alone under the moon light.

Arthur was, in the least, confused. He had assumed from the long black hair of one of the women, the blue eyes of two of the men, and the overall body build of each person, that these were the Alphas of the Jones Family. But the way they treated Alfred was strange; not even his own family acted that cruelly to each other. Arthur continued to watch as Alfred looked at his feet before squaring his shoulders and puffing up his chest and walking back towards the house. Even in the darkness, the look of determination was clear in those deep pools of blue.

It was about nine o’clock at night when the first yell of disapproval was heard by just about everyone on the grounds, the sound of the angered man echoing throughout the whole mansion. Next came the slam of one door, then another, and finally the sound of one of the cars starting and whipping out of the drive way. The next sound was of a woman screaming with what sounded like a vase breaking in the back ground, followed by the same sound of a door slamming, but the sound of a car starting did not follow it. Within an hour every car that was park in front of the house was gone each leaving in a cloud of dust kicked up from the gravel, the red tail lights burning bright in the cool night air.

Arthur and Matthew had been discussing trifle things, but once the first angered voice was heard, both boys stopped talking, staring warily at the door as if someone was about to break it down. With the sound of the front door slamming shut, Matthew quickly moved towards the window next to Arthur from the bed and stared out the window.

“Oh, this is bad,” Matthew whispered as if the pissed off man getting into the first car was standing right in front of him.

“Why?” Arthur tried to inquire, but the infuriated scream of a woman cut him off.

For the next hour the two boys watched as Matthew pointed out various aunts, uncles, and cousins exiting the house. Arthur was about to ask his question once again, but before he could there was knock on the door. Matthew called for the person to enter, but Arthur knew before they even opened the door. The scent of a thoroughly pissed off yet discouraged Alfred drifted through the thick wood of the door, but came into full force once the door was opened.

“You told them?” Matthew quietly asked, looking down at the floor.

“No. Grandma did,” Alfred stated solemnly before walking over and flopping onto the bed, letting out a groan into the sheets.

The room became silent after that, Arthur looking back and forth between the brothers, trying to figure out the mystery of what had just happened. “Um,” Arthur began, “What happened?”

Alfred tiredly lifted his head and looked at Arthur with a look that wasn’t quite annoyed, per se, but rather, it was as if Alfred wished that Arthur hadn’t just asked that question. Alfred let out another groan and ran his hand through his hair before sitting up so that Arthur wasn’t looking down at him. “What happens when an heir to the Head Alpha title dies or becomes unfitting for the title?” His face was blank; giving off a sense of pure seriousness that Arthur had never seen the Alpha show before.

“A-another heir must be chosen,” Arthur couldn’t help but stutter at the change in Alfred’s behaviour.

“Right. And so, when my dad died,” Alfred stopped for a moment before continuing, “The Head Alpha, my grandmother, had to choose another heir. That was what that meeting was about,”

Arthur processed the information. He had never  really  _experienced_  being part of a family with a defined Head Alpha, as it was his brother who was his Head Alpha, not his father , but he had read about various situations in books and how they were to be handled. Thinking back, Arthur remembered one particular story where the heir prince died, and King had to put his other two Alpha sons through trials to determine which would be the next heir. Arthur felt like should have turned away from Alfred’s gaze, but he wanted an answer, not for the Alpha to try and avoid the question, so he kept his gaze firm. “Who did your Head Alpha choose?”

Matthew looked towards Alfred with a compassionate gaze, but the older wouldn’t receive it. Instead he looked at Arthur with the same intensity that the Omega was giving him. “She chose me,”

The statement was simple enough, but something about it gave Arthur a sense of dread. He should have congratulated the boy, but the situation didn’t feel right. Becoming heir was something to celebrate, but everyone in the room remained quiet and still, the brothers for the anger of their family, but for Arthur it was for a different reason entirely. Something started nagging at Arthur, he knew it was stupid and something he shouldn’t have been feeling distraught over. But the thought wouldn’t leave him: If Alfred was heir, then that meant  _Alfred didn’t need him anymore_. Something about that notion made the Omega feel sick and lonely, and he felt like running away. The boys all stayed that way for a few more minutes, the only thing breaking their quiet being the loud buzzing noise of a phone vibrating. Arthur and Alfred looked at the violet eyed Omega who quietly excused himself, leaving the other two alone in the room.

Arthur was expecting Alfred to leave as well but, being as full of surprises as he was, Alfred looked at the other and asked, “Hey do you like movies?”

“What?” Arthur was taken aback.

“Movies, films, you know, the things that you see in movie theaters? Do you like them?”

“Um, I suppose they’re alright,” Arthur treaded off.

“Let’s go see one,” Alfred stated, jumping to his feet, a smile coming to his lips.

Arthur couldn’t help the dumbfounded look and blush that came upon his face, “What? Now? But I can’t really go anywhere-“

“Silly Artie, I meant here at the house. We have one of those private movie theaters in the basement,” Alfred spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Arthur, for whatever reason, obliged. It was strange, but Arthur liked seeing that smile on the Alpha’s face, and he wanted it to stay. Alfred went to pick up Arthur again, but the Omega put up a hand to stop him. “If you would just give me a shoulder, I should be able to get there on my own feet,”

Alfred stopped for a moment to think, but quickly shook his head and picked the smaller boy up anyway. “No way! You’re the princess in distress and I’m the Hero!” Alfred laughed as he nearly sprinted down the hall. Arthur on the other hand didn’t know whether to blush profusely or yell at the Alpha for being an idiot, so he settled for both. 


	17. Of Family Issues and Disapproval

Blood ran down his chin, falling to his chest where it rolled down the white t-shirt, staining every inch of the cloth it touched. His pants were covered in mud, torn and wet from the rocks that cut across the fabric and the snow that melted under his hot touch every time he was thrown to the ground. His eyes burned with anger, turning red from the dust in the air to match his emotion. The panting breathes that left his mouth were short, shallow and visible in the cold December air, his shoulders heaving up and down with each pant. He wiped the blood from his lip, leaving a red streak along his arm, shining bright in the sun. His blue eyes looked up at the man he was fighting, the other in almost the same state as himself, with his red hair covered in dirt and his eye starting to bruise.

Alfred and Allistor were coming to the end of a Dominance Fight, something that most Alphas tried to avoid at all cost, but when two Alphas went to claim dominance in an argument or a household, it was near necessity in order for there to be peace. But it wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. In fact, Alfred had never planned on seeing the other Alpha again since their “talk” back when they had first met in the parking lot the night after the first day of the cyclone that Alfred called his “Senior Year”. But there they were, in the cold snow of late fall, fighting with all their might. Alfred couldn’t help but take a moment to think back on how it had gone this far, how it had gone from a simple phone call to a full out brawl. The story began two weeks before this time, when Arthur ended up at the Jones’ house after the fight at the football game.

 

Alfred sat in his room, tapping away at his phone as he tried to stop the aliens from progressing any further into military base where the scientist were trying to figure out how to kill the invading species. With each kill Alfred felt himself calm down a bit, his anger lowering with each dying cry of an enemy, but it still wasn’t enough to stop him from thinking back to that moment behind the bleachers. He knew something was wrong when a few of the guys on the team didn’t show up to the locker rooms to grab their stuff. He had waited for them until everyone, including Ludwig, had left, but when he heard a couple of girls on the cheer squad walking by the locker room door gossiping about a fight up at the football field, Alfred knew it had to involve his missing team mates. When he arrived, all he heard was the yelling and grunts of pain, and all he saw was Arthur on the ground with another student on top of him. Something about the scenario seemed so familiar, but in the heat of the moment, Alfred couldn’t place it as he ran over and grabbed the boy’s arm to stop him from hitting his friend again, dislocating his shoulder.

‘ _Friend?’_  Alfred looked up from his game in realization of what he had just said. ‘ _No, Alphas and Omegas are not meant to be ‘friends’,’_  he shook his head as he heard a knock on the doorframe of his room, turning around to see his mother standing there. Mrs. Jones was a beautiful woman, with light blonde hair and hazel eyes, and was even a teen model for a short time before bonding with Mr. Jones when she was sixteen. After marrying and few years of waiting, they had Alfred. However, Mrs. Jones suffered from complications of childbirth, and soon after bringing her son into the world, had to have her ovaries removed for her own health safety. She went into a spiral of depression, going to work as a nurse to avoid her mate, convincing him to find a secondary mate and have more children, and even thoughts of leaving Mr. Jones and their son passed through her head every day. It wasn’t until she became Matthew’s mother as well that she was fully brought out of her state of darkness, becoming the wife and mother that she was meant to be.

“Arthur is fairly bad shape. I’m surprised that he let it get that far,” Her tired voice that had just begun to ring though the house again after weeks of crying and silence was quiet and concerned.

Alfred smirked, “Well, Arthur’s not a regular Omega,”

The older woman sighed and shook her head, “He needs to be more careful. Doesn’t he have children, or at least a mate, that need him? This sort of behaviour isn’t becoming of an Omega,”

Alfred shook his head, “No, he doesn’t have a mate, let alone kids. He’s hard headed, proud, straight forward, and doesn’t know how to back down; in a nutshell: a horrible Omega,” Alfred felt himself getting angry just thinking about Arthur, but he quickly caught himself before letting it escalate into  anything more.

Mrs. Jones stood still as she listened to her son rant, and after waiting a minute, spoke calmly, “Well, he is going to need your help to get around. He sprained his ankle and seems to have a couple cracked or bruised ribs, and without having any braces or crutches here, I’m depending on you to help him get around and make sure he’s comfortable. Perfect Omega or not, he is our guest,” And with that, the Omega left her son with a gentle smile gracing her features.

It was in the middle of dinner that the phone call from Arthur’s brother came through the line. Alfred looked up at the maid that had informed the AB Omega of the call, his eyes shifting to the nervous ones across from him. A scared or emotionally distressed Omega gave off a scent that could only be described as ‘bitter’, something that most Alphas distasted and would do anything to make the smell go away. So whether it was instincts or the look that his grandmother gave him out of the corner of her eye, Alfred was on his feet within seconds of getting a whiff the nasty smell.

“I’ll get it,” he offered. Everyone looked at him with confusion as he looked at his mother, “You said that he should walk around a lot right?” His mother nodded slightly in confirmation. “Then I’ll let him know what happened,” Alfred pushed his chair in before excusing himself from the table. He quickly made his way to the door, but before leaving, he locked eyes with Arthur and something struck him. Arthur’s eyes held such concern and worry while shining like stained glass in a church, and his mouth was agape slightly, allowing his usually tight and closed lips to look plump and a pink tint added to them. Arthur, in that moment, looked actually quite beautiful to Alfred, and that beauty gave Alfred a sense of want. It was that want that made the Alpha feel the need to protect him, even from his own brother. So with a nervous smile like one that a boy would give when caught looking at his crush, Alfred quickly exited the room.

The phone call was, in a word,  _predictable_. Alfred was truthfully nervous to talk to the older Alpha, and knew that if he didn’t play his cards right, he might end up with more than just a punch to the face. After all, it was exactly the most proper or normal thing for an Omega to suddenly have to spend the night at a strange house without their parent or Head Alpha’s permission first. So when the first biting words flew out of the mouth of the red haired Alpha, transferred over the long distance in only milliseconds to Alfred’s ear, he tried to be as unyielding as possible.

“Hello?” A sure voice masking the internal shaking that Alfred felt as he spoke.

“ _Hello? Who is this?”_

‘ _Here we go,’_  Alfred grasped the phone a bit tighter. “This is Alfred Jones,”

“ _Oi! I didn’t ask for you! Where’s my idiot of a brother, Arthur?!”_

Alfred felt his anger rise, but calmed himself quickly before speaking, “He’s eating dinner right now. What did you want to tell him?”

Silence came from the other end before a loud clamour came through the line, “ _I WANT TO TELL ‘IM TO GET ‘IS ASS BACK HOME! What the ‘ell were you thinkin’ taking ‘im to your house and just calling after the fact to tell our mum that ‘is hurt but can’t come home?!”_ Alfred felt his body go tense at the accusation. But he knew that what the other said was true. Silence took over the conversation for a while before Allistor spoke again. “ _I want to talk to Arthur,”_  His voice was much quieter now, like a whisper compared to his previous bellowing.

Alfred took a deep breath before speaking. He had promised himself not to back down, and he would make sure to have Allistor see his reasoning and receive the elder Alpha’s approval. “He’s eating right now, and with his ribs and ankle hurt, moving to the telephone probably isn’t the best decision for him,”

“ _Then get ‘im a bloody wheelchair or somethin’!”_

“We don’t have one,”

“ _Then how the hell is he moving around?!”_

“Well,” Alfred paused before thinking about his next move. He didn’t realize until that moment just how strange carrying an Omega that he wasn’t supposed to really care for around his house really was. Of course, he could lie and tell the Kirkland Head Alpha that the maids were helping him around, but before those words could roll off his tongue, another set shoved them to the side, “I’ve been helping him around personally,”

_Silence._

“ _Excuse me?”_

“Well, he can’t really move so I’ve been carr-helping him around. He needs someone strong to support him, so I-“

“ _’Someone strong’? And what exactly makes you think that ye are qualified to be called ‘strong’ enough to support me wee brother? Last I checked you were only ‘strong’ enough to throw ‘im around like some rag doll! So what makes you think you have any right to even touch ‘im? Huh?”_  Allistor’s voice slowly rose in volume as his anger began to show through.

“Well, I think I-“

“ _No! The only thing ye should be thinkin’ is when in the next hour you’ll have me babe brother back home!”_

Alfred slightly flinched at the bellowing voice, but he stood firm as he felt his own rage building in response to the belittling words being thrown at him. “He’s hurt! And it will hurt him even more to try and fit him into a car to get him back home, so it’s better if he stays here for at least tonight and see if he’s any better tomorrow morning. If not, I’ll take him to the hospital!”

“ _You won’t be taking him any-“_  before Allistor could finish, Alfred hung the phone up quickly to cut his opposing words from reaching his ears. Something inside him was stirring, but it wasn’t anger. No, in fact it was the pride that he was able to stand his ground and protect Arthur.

‘ _Whoa there, Al. You weren’t ‘protecting’ him, you were only making sure his brother didn’t hurt him unwittingly by yelling at him and then trying to move him around while he’s hurt. Yeah, that’s all,’_  Alfred thought to himself as he returned to the dining room, retaking his seat across from said Omega.

Now, as the night came, and Alfred had moved Arthur back into the guest bedroom, he prepared for the battle that he was about to face. Unlike the conversation with Allistor a couple hours prior, this fight was one that he had been preparing to win for the past couple of weeks. It was the night when he and the Head Alpha would announce Alfred’s succession as Hehewuti’s heir, and that news alone would definitely bring out the worst in all the Alphas of the Jones family. While their family was usually well behaved, that didn’t mean that they had their bad relatives; Alphas making up most of said “bad” relatives.  While the vile and tempered behaviour of the Jones family Alphas was usually tolerable, there were moments, such as that night, that they were anything but.

It started when Alfred went out to welcome his uncle, aunt and cousins, all of which ignored him as usual. But instead of simply walking by him as if he didn’t exist, they instead “accidently” shoved him to the ground, the biggest, fattest, man (his uncle) merely snorted as he smirked at his nephew before continuing on into the house that he obviously had been eyeing since Alfred could remember. Even when Alfred was a young child, his Alpha relatives frowned upon him for being in line to inherit what they thought should have been rightfully theirs (thankfully, however, his one Omega uncle and one Beta aunt loved him just as much as his own parents did). While they never opposed their Head Alpha’s decision to choose her eldest son as her heir, they took every opportunity to point out the flaws that Alfred had to make Alexander doubt his son and perhaps choose either one of them, his siblings, or one of their own Alpha children to be heir instead. However, Alexander did not waver and refused to succumb to their trickery. Instead, he began to teach Alfred about being a Head Alpha when the boy turned six years old, after Matthew came to live with them. Alfred would go on trips with his father and was introduced to powerful CEOs and ambassadors, becoming friends with their children as well.

It was on trips like these that Alfred learnt the importance of power, responsibility and of loyalty. Of course, as an Alpha, Alfred had the first instilled in him from birth, but the second was one that he started to take seriously from a young age when he felt like he needed to be his brother’s keeper. But the last came long after Alfred was a small child; it was the last trip that the boy had ever taken with his father, when the man was first starting to show the signs of his sickness. But that is a tale for another time, for Alfred didn’t realize that he had been staring at the moon for god knew how long. So he gathered himself and prepared mentally for what he was about to face, like a knight putting on his armor before going to fight the evil dragon that protected the greatest treasure in all the land.

And a dragon he did face; a dragon with raging red talons, envious green eyes, greedy black wings, and freezing blue scales. As soon as he walked into the meeting room that doubled as his grandmother’s office, said Alpha woman stood and announced him as her heir. A shocked silence swept through the room, but the calm only lasted a few seconds before the storm took way. First came the deep thunderous voice of his father’s first younger brother, the fat man who shoved him outside.

“What?! What in God’s name possessed you to make such a misled decision such as that?! That boy is not one of  _children_! He is your wretched  _grandchild_  who has no right to claim the title that my late brother held before him!”

Next came the shrieking voice of his father’s only Alpha sister, “Why, my eldest _Omega_  daughter is more fit for being heir than this boy is!”

Hehewuti tried to calm her two Alpha children, but soon their children stood and joined their parents in protest. The shouting and bickering went on between Hehewuti and her family, Alfred trying to interject, but glares were sent his way every time he attempted to make a point. The fighting last for a while before Alfred finally snapped. He walked up toward the front of the room and slammed his fist on to the Head Alpha’s desk, a loud ‘Bang’ following the motion. Everyone stopped to look at the boy, anger and shock both obvious in their eyes.

“Look, I hate to break it to you all, but it’s the Head Alpha’s choice who will be the heir,” He looked towards his grandmother and nodded before returning his attention to his other relatives. “And as for myself, I  _happily_  accept her offer. If any of you truly have any objections, then the proper thing would for you to each express your concerns individually in an orderly fashion,” He sighed to calm his nerves before continuing, “I know that you might not think that I am the best choice for heir, but I promise that I will try my hardest to lead this family when my time comes. I plan on being the best Head Alpha I can be, and your support would be-“

“’Try’?! We don’t need some teenager who  _thinks_  he will be able to be Head Alpha!” the fat uncle’s bellowing cut Alfred off, his huffing loud and obnoxious.  “I will not stand here and listen to this nonsense!” Before either of his children could stop him, the large man stormed out of the room, shouting profanities at the servants as he went, the sound of a car racing out of the drive way followed soon after.

Everyone remained calm until one of Alfred’s cousins stood up and screamed about their grandmother being “unfair”, accidently hitting an old, green, vase-looking container near the wall.

_Crack._

_Shatter._

_Break._

Everyone froze as they looked at the greyish powder like material that slid out in between the shards of jade like sand out of a shattered hourglass. Hehewuti’s daughter, her only present child, gasped loudly and looked towards her mother with fear and concern, the rest of the present company following suit, but with confusion in their eyes as well. The woman stood in shock, her brown eyes large and almost fearful as if a great evil had just shown itself to her. Alfred was about to ask if she was alright, but before he could even take a half step towards the elderly woman, she quietly, but sternly call the meeting to an end.

“This meeting has ended. I have chosen Alfred Franklin Jones as my heir, and that judgment shall not be questioned at this present time. You may all go home now,”

Alfred looked towards his relatives for some clue as to what had happened, only a single pair of brown eyes did not return his confused gaze. His aunt looked around her, a frown plastered on her face as she ushered her younger peers out of the room, closing the doors behind her and instructing them that they needed to leave the Head Alpha alone for a while. Most of the family members left until it was just Alfred and the older Alpha woman, her nails pressed into his arm to hold him in place like a hawk holding its prey.

“I need to speak with you,” She roughly pulled the blonde to the side, down one of the many hallways, “While I don’t agree with mother’s choice, you are the only Alpha in the house besides her at the moment, and because of this, you need to watch her,”

“What are you talking about?” Alfred asked as he squirmed out of the woman’s hold. She might have been shorter than him, but her grip exhibited power equal to his own.

She let out a frustrated sigh, “That thing that broke back there was,  _special_  to mother, and I’m sure that it shook her up a bit. She’s been tired and forgetful as of late, and the meeting tonight will not help her mentally either. So, I need you to watch her and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid, got it?” Her voice dripped with venom as she glared at the younger threateningly.

‘ _Special?’_  Alfred looked down in thought as he tossed his aunt’s words around in his mind. ‘ _I have to watch her? Is she sick? What was with that vase thing anyway? But if she’s sick then I guess I have to watch her. I guess it’s a good way to prove to everyone that I’m worthy of being Heir… But what about mom? I need to make sure she gets back to normal from dad dying, and then there’s Matt and having to make sure his Bonding Ceremony is perfect, and I also have to meet with Allistor Kirkland tomorrow and explain-‘_

_‘Please, for your own sake, learn to not live up to other people’s expectations. It’s your life son, not theirs,’_

The voice was quiet, gentle, and calming; it silenced Alfred’s raging thoughts in an instant. Alexander’s last words echoed in his son’s head Alfred stopped thinking for a moment, letting his mind flush out all the bickering thoughts inside it. He could feel his aunt’s eyes on him, but he could care less; her threats and guilt trips didn’t mean anything anymore. All that truly mattered to Alfred in that moment was what he wanted to do, and what he thought of the situation. Yes, the woman had looked tired the past few days, and yes, she did look quite disoriented a few minutes prior, but that didn’t mean that she need to be put on hospice or anything! He didn’t want to follow the woman around and make sure she didn’t get even a freaking paper cut! ‘ _No, I don’t want to watch after anyone anymore, and I-‘_

But in his mind, there was one person he didn’t mind looking after at the moment. A certain green-eyed Omega popped into his mind, with his choppy blonde hair and large eyebrows. But his smile shone bright and his laugh (that Alfred rarely got to here) was soft and meaningful. Something about him made Alfred not so cross. In fact, whatever that ‘something’ was, it made Alfred want to protect him, watch over him, make sure he wouldn’t get hurt again. Perhaps, that was why Alfred joined that fight or why he offered to take the call with Allistor even though he knew the consequences to defy a Head Alpha in that situation. Alfred felt his heart race at the fact, but a quick slap to the arm brought him back to the situation that he was presently facing.

“Don’t space out like that!” His aunt’s shrill voice called, “So I’ll be back next week to make sure you’re holding up your end of the deal,” After letting the words sink into Alfred’s mind, the woman turned around to leave. However, before she could make it very far, Alfred reached out and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn around and face him.

“No,”

The older Alpha did a double take, “What?”

Alfred took a breath in and relaxed his shoulders, “Grandma is fine. She knows how to take of herself, and I don’t believe that she would even consider allowing someone to help her,”

The woman was about to retort, but instead, she huffed, pulled her arm away from her nephew and glared at him before walking away and out the front door. As soon as she was out of sight, Alfred sighed and felt all of his muscles relax. He hated his family for many reasons, but being able to make him that tense in such a short amount of time was one the main reasons.

The following morning, Alfred came to the conclusion that, unlike he had felt the night before, he hated Arthur. The guy was vengeful, mean, and didn’t know when to give a guy a break; and that ‘guy’ was Alfred himself.

“Pffftt…”

“Arthur. Stop it,”

 “Hahahahahaha! You were screaming like a girl!”

“W-well, you screamed too!”

“Yeah, just to get you to scream for no reason! Hahahaha,”

“Doesn’t it hurt to laugh? I mean, you did bruise and possibly crack a few ribs,”

“It’s worth it!”

The boys were on their way to Arthur’s house as the Omega reminded Alfred of the night before when he had  _insisted_  they watch an old horror movie. Now, Alfred did believe that because the movie was old, that the graphics would have been cheesy and that he would laugh through the whole thing. But, that wasn’t quite what happened. So, as they pulled up to Arthur’s house, Alfred was all but happy to kick the boy out of his car. But being what the circumstances were, Alfred was all but obliged to helping the Omega up the stairs and into the house.

Once they parked, Alfred begrudgingly got out and walked over to Arthur’s door, opening it and reaching his hand out to help the other out of the car. They had agreed on the way over that Alfred would just lend Arthur his shoulder instead of carrying him in fear of what his parents might assume. As they reached the front door, before they could even ring the doorbell, Mrs. Kirkland threw the door open. Her eyes were filled with tears and her hair was a mess as she ushered the two boys in, making Arthur lay down and Alfred sit on the opposite couch.

After all the questions of ‘who, when, why, and where’ were answered, the woman excused herself to go get some tea for their guest. However, before she could return, Alfred felt a chill run down his spine as the scent of a nearby Alpha hit his sensitive nose. Allistor was near, but there was no way he was going to get into yet another fight with the man as he was on the elder’s territory, and would have the home advantage. Alfred was about to excuse himself, but just as he rose to full height out of his chair, the back door swung open.

“Hey, mum I-“ As Allistor brought in firewood from the back yard, he came to a halt and turned to look towards the large blue eyes staring at him.


	18. Of Fights and Dances

_Bang!_

Alfred’s vision blurred a bit as he felt a hand wrapped around his throat and his head throbbing from hitting up against the wall behind him. He tried to focus his vision, but found it near impossible when something strong, stiff and solid hit his stomach. He would have lurched over, but the hand around his throat kept him from doing so. All that he could do in his position was look up at that man who held him up against the wall; darkened green meeting shocked blue.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here for?” Allistor seethed.

“I-“ Alfred wheezed out.

 

“Scot, what the hell do you think _you’re_ doing?! You’re choking him! Stop!” Arthur yelled, trying to sit up, but the pain in his sides prevented him from doing so.

“I’m doing what any sane Alpha would to someone like him!” Allistor growled.

Alfred felt the man’s grip on his neck tighten, making breathing near impossible. Alfred felt his head get light, as if he was about to pass out, until the pressure on his throat leave and his body drop to the ground. “Fuck…” Alfred groaned as he rubbed his head.

“First you let my brother get hurt! Then you have some woman call and tell us what happened?! And you, “Allistor turned his attention to his younger brother and pointed at him accusingly, “You didn’t even ask for permission if you could stay at a house that no one in this family has even been to before!” Allistor bellowed as he paced back and forth in front of the limp Alpha on the floor before speaking to said Alpha once again. “Next, you have the _gall_ to tell me that you pretty much know what’s best for Arthur?! And to top all of that you don’t bring him back till _NOW?!_ What the hell is wrong with your head?!”

Alfred tried to find the words to explain himself, but between still being light headed and the throbbing in his head, his mouth did not want to work with him. Alfred lulled his head back to look at the other Alpha above him, his vision blurry, but it was slowly coming into focus. ‘ _Man… he’s got one hell of a grip,’_ Alfred smirked at his thought.

“What’s so funny?” Allistor seethed.

‘ _What?’_ Alfred thought as everything started to come back together. He moved his head back and forth, trying to shake the weird tingling felling form his mind, before trying to stand, but failing to do so.  Alfred lifted his head, now that the sounds and sights were coming together, and looked towards Arthur who had, at some point in the mess of rage and calm, used his mother as a brace to stand up. After looking towards him and smirking, Alfred looked back up at Scott and finally let the words come out. “You’re funny,”

Allistor felt his eye switch, “ _Excuse me?_ ” He growled.

Alfred couldn’t help it, but he gave a goofy grin before starting to laugh. For some reason the whole situation was just too hilarious not to laugh at, and while his lunges still hurt from a lack of air, the laughter made Alfred feel a little less tense. There he was on the floor, all because Arthur’s brother nearly strangled him for bringing said Omega home after a night of staying at his house. _“Wait… that just sounds so wrong,”_ Alfred stopped laughing, but when he calmed down, he noticed Arthur chuckling as well. The whole incident was just so _stupid_ to them.

Meanwhile, Allistor looked back between the boy on the floor and his brother behind him, giving his mother a look that asked ‘What’s happening’. Mrs. Kirkland returned his look with a shrug of unknowing, but quickly turned her attention back to her injured child who needed her as his support. As Alfred’s laughter quieted down, the two Alphas made eye contact once again as Alfred finally managed to stand on his feet without falling over.

 “Sorry, it’s just…” Alfred smirked and shook his head lightly, “Look, sorry I didn’t bring him back home right away. But my mother, who is a retired nurse, advised that he didn’t go through anything stressful and she also wanted to make sure that his ankle was properly taken care of. He’s fine now, just needs to rest and not do anything strenuous for a while,” Alfred explained awkwardly as he rubbed his neck as Allistor glared at him. The man was intimidating, that was not an understatement, but Alfred knew that he couldn’t show any sort of fear, or he might end up against the wall again if the Head Alpha of the Kirkland family noticed any sort of doubt.

After a few moments more of glares and silence, Allistor let out a frustrated sigh. “Whatever. You brought him back in one piece,” He took a step back and carded his hand through his hair. “But,” He took a step closer, to where there were only a few inches between him and Alfred, “If you ever try anything like that _ever_ again, I will not hesitate to _rip you to shreds_ ,” Alfred nodded firmly in agreement. While he didn’t like to back down or admit he was wrong (after all, who was an Alpha to give in?), he knew that Allistor did have a right, as being Arthur’s Head Alpha, to protect his charge.

Although Scot seemed to calm down, Alfred knew that he was over staying his welcome; it was almost time for him to meet with Mr. and Mrs. Edelstein. With a quick glance at the clock, Alfred confirmed his speculation, “I should get going,”

“Wh-what? I mean, you just got here,” Arthur’s face quickly panicked at the Alpha’s words. Alfred noticed the blush on the Omega’s face, as it was amplified by his usually pale skin. But Alfred concluded that he liked that colour. It was a light pink that reminded Alfred of the pink pearl necklace that his mother received from his father for her birthday when he was a small child. She had chased him all around the house, teasing him about wearing them for her so she could see how they looked on someone else. It was a memory that he used to hate until recently when his mother nearly went mute after his father’s death. Before he could get too lost in his memories, Alfred remembered where he was. He smirked in response to Arthur’s blushing, “What’s wrong _Artie_? Are you missing me already?” He laughed at his own joke, thinking the others would join in.

However, instead of hearing laughter, Alfred F. Jones felt the tension in the room grow ten-fold as both brothers gave him glares that would put Medusa to shame. ‘ _Those probably weren’t the best words to use,’_ Alfred concluded.

“Uh, like I said, I should get going,” Alfred restated as he slowly headed towards the door.

“That’s a good idea,” Both the Kirkland brothers stated eerily at the same time as they watched the honey blonde Alpha shut the front door.

As Alfred drove down the streets of his hometown, his mind couldn’t help but think back on all the thoughts he had been having about Arthur Kirkland. Perhaps it was just the fact that he was an unmated Omega in Alfred’s house, who happened to be an unmated Alpha, and god knew how badly he needed to get laid. Hell, unless some random sex fairy showed up in the next week and asked Alfred to have sex with it, even his younger brother (who was an _Omega_ of all things) was going to end up losing his virginity before he was! Alfred felt the shame creeping up on him as he could just see all of his relatives faces when they noticed that Matthew was getting bonded before him. It would be just another reason for his family to think that he wasn’t suitable for being Head Alpha. Great.

Alfred kept these thoughts with him as he arrived at the high school. It might have been a Saturday, but for Alfred, the campus was his second home. After all, there were quite a few perks to having your grandmother as principal. Also, the music room was the biggest and held the most variation in musical instruments in the town, so it was only natural that he would go there to practice. Once inside he met with Matthew, Gilbert, and Mr. and Mrs. Edelstein, who were already going over songs and wedding details. The wedding was close at hand and everyone was hurrying to finish preparing and tying up any loose ends before the day of the ceremony arrived. 

“Look who finally decided to join us,” Gilbert joked as Alfred made his way to the table that everyone was sitting at.

“Yeah, yeah,” Alfred half-heartedly retorted, “Let’s just get the music picked out so the Edelsteins and I can start practicing,”

“We already did,” Elizaveta smiled as he handed Alfred a few pieces of paper. Alfred looked through the sheets, reading the music printed on them, before nodding in approval. “Alright, let’s get to work. There’s only a week left till this thing happens,”

The day finally ended, and following it was Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Alfred was faced with an  internal battle that the only side losing was his pride. Alfred and Matthew stood in front of the door to their fifth period classroom after the class had ended and the other students had left. Alfred felt his heart start race as his brother told him that it would be more appropriate if brought a “plus one” with him; or, more simply put, Alfred had to find a _date._ For most people his age this would not have been a problem as someone in their late teens would usually already have a mate to bring with them to formal events such as this. But Alfred, while he was well liked and admired by many, did not have a mate or a potential mate to take to his brother’s Bonding Ceremony with him. Thus, the panicking began.

“Why do I have to bring someone with me?! I’ve never heard of ‘having a date’ being a requirement for a Bonding Ceremony!” Alfred complained.

“Look, it was grandmother’s idea for you bring a date, not mine. She said that it would look a lot better to the Alphas in our family if they thought you had a ‘potential mate’ with you at the reception at least,” Matthew rubbed his temples as he tried to reason with his brother.

“But I don’t have a ‘potential mate’!”

“I know. But if the Alphas see you with someone, they will have to recognize that you are making an effort to find a mate at least,”

Alfred stopped himself from retorting; instead thinking on what his younger brother had just said. It was a good idea, but that also meant that Alfred would have to find a willing Omega or Beta go with him, and quite frankly, the thought made Alfred’s pride take a big blow. While he didn’t mind the thought of having a mate someday, the idea of needing a mate just to impress people made him slightly angry at the situation. But it had to be done in order for him to gain even the slightest ounce of respect from his family and hopefully take one step closer to having their full respect to become Head Alpha. All these pros and cons were tossed back and forth in Alfred’s mind as he walked towards his sixth period class.

When he finally arrived, Alfred dropped into his set by Mr. Edelstein’s desk and groaned in frustration. The class finished without Alfred even realizing it, his thoughts too clouded with ‘what if’s. When Mr. Edelstein finally got Alfred’s attention, he bid him a farewell as he was leaving for the day and informed him that he should get to his last class soon before he was tardy. Alfred did as he was advised, but once he reached the class, he found that his teacher was out for the day, leaving the class with a substitute who obviously was way in over her head. Noticing this, Alfred figured there really was no point in staying and thought it would just be one less student the lady would have to struggle to get the attention of. So, in order to make things easier for the teacher of course, Alfred asked to be excused, which the teacher quickly agreed to.

“This sucks,” Alfred sighed out as he grabbed dropped backpack to the floor next to the table in the library that he had decided to retreat to. It was quiet there, and hopefully, it would help Alfred figured out just how he was going to go about finding a date. Getting comfortable, the Alpha stretched and let his head lull backwards as he placed his arms behind the back of the chair.

“What ‘sucks’?”

Alfred’s head shot up and looked in front of him at Arthur staring at him with a questioning look, a hand on his hip and his other arm holding about three books. “Oh, it’s just you,” Alfred let his head fall back again. “Why are you even moving around? Aren’t you still in pain?”

“I’m fine enough to come back to school. And, you know, if you continue to let your head fall back fast enough like that you could snap your neck and die,” Arthur’s voice was sarcastically humorous as he took the seat across the table from the agonizing Alpha and opened one of the books he had with him

“That’s not possible,” Alfred stated as he stated in the same position.

Arthur gave him a confused look, “What?”

Alfred brought his head back up and looked Arthur in the eyes, “It’s not possible, without some outside force being applied, for someone to snap their own neck by letting it fall back,”

The two blondes just stared at each other for a while, as if they were trying to figure the other out. That was when an idea hit Alfred.

“Hey, are you going to Mattie’s Bonding Ceremony on Saturday?”

Arthur rose a large eyebrow as to ask if the boy the serious.

“I mean, are you going to the reception afterwards?” Alfred growled in frustration.

“I was planning on it, yes. But my family was planning on leaving for a short trip on Friday, so I’m not sure if I’ll stay or go with them yet,” Arthur lazily spoke as he flipped the page of the book he was mindlessly skimming. “Though, I would prefer to stay rather than to have to deal with my cousin’s bratty kids,”

‘ _This is it! The break I’ve been looking for!’_ Alfred was jumping for excitement on the inside and his eyes sparkled as he flew his body forward to where he was leaning over the table, his face uncomfortably close to the Omega’s own. “Hey, do you want to go with me? I mean, it would just be so that you won’t be lonely or-“

“No,” Arthur stated coldly as he flipped another page, ignoring the quickly dying flame in Alfred’s eyes.

Alfred felt like if he was in a comic book or cartoon, his jaw should have dropped to the table in disbelief. He had _never_ been turned down by any Omega he had asked out on a date. But then again, this wasn’t a ‘date’ per se, but rather a formal gathering that they were both going to be attending.  “Wh-what? Why?”

Arthur let out his own irritated sigh as he closed his book, looking up at Alfred through his eyelashes, “Do you really want me to list the reason as to why I don’t want to be your date? Let’s start with your ego-“

“Fine, fine. If you don’t want to have the privilege of saying that the most popular guy in school asked to a date, then so be it,” Alfred lifted his hands in a surrendering pose as he sat back down in his chair.

Arthur rolled his eyes and rose his hands to his cheeks, “Oh, yes! Of course I want to tell all my petty friends that _the_ Alfred F. Jones asked me out on a-“ _Wait._ Arthur’s eyes grew wide, and soon following them, were Alfred’s blue eyes as they both realized what the Alpha had exactly said.

“W-wait! I didn’t mean it like that!” Alfred’s face heated up as he tried to wave his hands about as if the awkward situation was a fly. “I-I-“ Alfred was having a difficult time coming up with an excuse to why he had spoken the way he did, “Oh, nevermind!” Alfred stood up quickly and grabbed his bag, his face still beet red and he quickly left the library and a confused and blushing Arthur behind him.

 _‘What the fuck was that?!_ ’

The memory of that day haunted Alfred for the rest of the week every time he saw Arthur. And the sooner Saturday approached, the more and more Alfred hoped Arthur would leave with his parents so that he would not have to face the Omega at the reception. Even the morning before the big event, as Alfred helped Ludwig, Gilbert, and Antonio move the Grand Piano from the house to the portable stage in the backyard of his family’s house, the Omega wouldn’t leave his mind alone, with his green eyes, pink cheeks, peachy lips…. _‘Stop it!’_ Alfred shook his head to get rid of the visions.

“Alfred! We have to leave for the bonding grounds now!” Mrs. Jones yelled from the double glass doors leading to the back yard.

“Alright, I’m coming!” Alfred yelled back as he made his way up the many steps that lead to the concrete patio that held a pool in its center and mini bar in the corner with a barbeque behind it.

The car trip to the ceremonial grounds wasn’t that eventful. In all honesty, a typically Bonding Ceremony itself wasn’t very eventful either (except for what it represented of course). But, this was not going to be a typical ceremony by any means. The ceremonial grounds were a series of rectangular or circular plots in each of the city’s parks, divided by tree and shrub lines in the center of the park. The grounds that Matthew and Gilbert had chosen were the largest rectangular plot in the city’s main park. It was well shaded with the old trees making a sort of arch with their fellow trees on the other side of the clearing; their large branches touching and clinging to each other over the humans beneath them. There was a large pond behind the low shrub line at the back of the plot, giving the guest a wonderful view of the two soon-to-be mates under the white archway, being bound under the trees of the earth, in the wind of the air, near the water of the pond, and with the gems and cords made in the fire. Everything was linked to the earth for this ceremony; Hehewuti made sure of it.

The old woman had once gathered all of her grandchildren together and told them of tales from before the great death and of the people her family originated from. She told them of how the land was their most sacred possession, and yet, not theirs to possess alone. She told them of how her father believed that their family was spared because of their connection to the land, which had seen them fit to keep alive. Matthew and Alfred sat in awe of their grandmother’s tales, while their cousins looked around the house, or tried to leave out of boredom. It was in these tales that she also told her young charges of “wedding ceremonies” and how they were conducted and changed over time, telling of the flowing white dresses of a group called “Christians” and the simple, but intricately handmade dresses of their people who she called “Natives”. It was during these stories that both Alfred and Matthew decided that they wanted a bonding ceremony similar to “Wedding”.

Bonding Ceremonies were usually done by the mates coming together, after their families were seated, and making promises of being a strong mate and mother or father, promising to protect each other and whatever children they had. And once the vows were done, the one that would be fathering the children would present the ring, bracelet, or necklace that he proposed with and another matching set with identical stones for each of them to wear. The couple was usually dressed in symbolic clothing of black and red or blue for Alphas, white or black and yellow for Betas, and white with either purple or green for Omegas. Alphas and Betas usually wore suits or tuxedos of their colors while Omegas wore dresses if they were a woman or, if a man, a suit with a bustle in the back to give a more effeminate look.

Matthew and Gilbert had decided to keep the traditional clothing, but instead of them simply exchanging vows in front of their families, they asked a pastor to come and conduct the ceremony. Alfred sat towards the front and waited for Matthew to come down the aisle with Francis, his mother sitting to his right with his grandmother next to her. An organ blared loudly through the air to announce the arrival of the “bride”, everyone turning to look back at the start of the aisle to see Matthew with his cousin starting to walk towards the front of the crowd, to where Gilbert and Ludwig stood side by side.

If it wasn’t for his mind going a hundred miles a minute still, Alfred would have noticed his brother’s blushing face with this proposal necklace already dangling from his neck, the flash of fear in Gilbert’s eyes as Francis whispered something in his ear before letting go of Matthew’s arm, and he would have noticed the nervous shaking that both boys shared as they smiled at each other. But, Alfred’s mind did slow down long enough to hear the words that the men exchanged that made their vows. Gilbert was first as he promised to cherish, protect, and love his mate till his last breath; Matthew repeating the same vows. The pastor declared them bound as Ludwig handed his older brother a pair of rings, one gold and the other silver, that had intricate carvings of twists and turns of two lines (though it could have just be a single line that overlapped itself) and at each point that the lines crossed, a medium sized diamond was grafted into the metal. The two mates exchanged the rings and placed them on each other’s left ring fingers, nervousness making their hands shake as they blushed way too much in Alfred’s mind.

To Alfred, the event was wonderful, but painfully slow and tedious with the boys acting like they had just met each other with all their stuttering, blushing, and shaking. To Alfred: they looked ridiculous. But it was sweet none the less, and when it was over, it was Alfred’s turn to get nervous. He smiled at his brother as the newly bounded mates got into their limo and drove away to get ready for the reception, but Alfred’s heart was racing as he was trying to remember the words to the songs Matthew asked him to sing. It also didn’t help that Arthur was still on his mind at the same time.

Luckily, Alfred, Ludwig, and few select members of their families had all pitched in for town cars to drive them to and from the ceremonial grounds, so Alfred could practice a bit before meeting up with the hired band once he arrived back at this family’s house.  He could remember every word to every song, except for the one song that mattered the most: The first dance. Matthew had run through that song with him so many times, but it continued to slip his mind.

‘ _Come on Al, think, think, thin-‘_

“Sir, we’ve arrived,”

Alfred’s head shot up as he noticed he was the only one left in the car, Ludwig already having left. Once out of the car, Alfred made his way to the back yard and took in just how many people were there, as the usually large and spacious back yard of a half-acre looked crowded. The only open space left was the dance floor and stage where Gilbert’s band mates were setting up their equipment. Alfred walked down the concrete steps as he watched the sun lowering to barely touch the horizon, saying his hellos to friends as he made his way to the stage and helped the Antonio and Francis finish setting up the speakers around the Grand Piano and moving a large, heavy case unto the stage.

Just as they finished plugging in cords and testing the microphone, Francis grabbed the mic and announced the arrival of Matthew and Gilbert.  The crowd of people burst into applause and cheering, but Alfred merely smiled as he watched his brother and the albino nearly get mulled by their excited friends. It gave Alfred the chance to scan the crowd for a certain blonde Omega, trying to see past the tall Alphas that hid their shorter counterparts.

‘ _There’s Toris with that one chick… no wait, that’s a dude. In a dress… And there’s Kiku and Yao and their family… And who brought the Commie?! Whatever. Alright, no sign of the bitchy Omega yet… that’s half the crowd, now-‘_

 Before he could finish, the blonde Beta patted his back to get his attention and motioned for him to come towards the microphone and whispered to him that it was time for the main dance of the night. Alfred felt his body go tense for a second as he looked down on the dance floor and watched the couple make their way onto it, Matthew smiling up at him. It was a simple smile, but it meant _everything_ to Alfred as he felt his heart melt as he finally realized just how happy his brother was, and just how much it was worth it to keep a silly childhood promise.

You see, when they were younger, Matthew had told Alfred that he wanted a big wedding. Matthew would tell Alfred of how he wanted the day to be just about him, a selfish request coming from such a humble child, but he also wanted everyone to have fun. He wanted a band to play music like the music on the old discs that their grandmother kept in her office; music that was fun and everyone could dance to. The one song that Matthew wanted the most was one song by a man that lived and died long before the Great Death, but the boy thought that anyone with someone they loved could relate to it. So one day, as Alfred made a tiny mock bouquet for his brother out of the wild flowers that grew after the first springs gentle rain, the older brother made a promise to the younger. As he handed his brother the flowers and put a large white napkin over his brother’s hair and pinned it back with their mother’s hairpins, Alfred told him that he would sign any song Matthew wanted him to sing at his Bonding Ceremony. The two then proceeded to pretend to be “married” to each other and played house, Matthew being the “wife” and Alfred the “husband”. It was that day that Alfred promised in their silly little “wedding” that he would love and protect his brother until the day someone could do it better than him, and that would be the day of Matthew’s real wedding.

Of course, the Alfred of the current time didn’t think _anyone_ could protect Matthew better than him; Gilbert included. But, if it was what made Matthew happy, then so be it. And with that thought in mind, Alfred walked up to the microphone.

“Alright everyone, calm down, calm down. Heh, well, I guess it’s my job to thank everyone here for coming and celebrating this amazing day for my brother!” Alfred began to clap, everyone else quickly catching on and clapping with him. “Now, my brother has asked me to sing the song for the first dance of the night. I know, I know, it’s been years since I last touched the mic, but this is for my brother. Now, this one is for Gilbert and Matthew, and Gilbert,” The albino quickly shifted his eyes away from his mate and towards Alfred with a questioning look, “Don’t mess this up,” With a wink and a smirk, Alfred swiftly let go of the microphone and took a couple steps back before turning on his heel and walked towards the large white piano on the center of the stage. He sat down on the bench, flipping the tail coats of his suit out from under his butt, and lifted the key casing up and folded it back to reveal the ivory and ebony keys it protected. He checked the microphone that was placed in front of him, being held up be a large L-bar, before tapping on the keys, to make the chords inside the large instrument strum. Antonio sat behind the piano, a bit to the left, with an acoustic guitar as he plucked at the strings to join in on the music.

_“It’s a little bit funny this feeling inside._

_I’m not one of those who can easily hide._

_I don’t have much money but boy if I did,_

_I’d buy a big house where we both could live”_

As Alfred’s fingers diligently pressed each key and his mouth moved to produce the lyrics of the song, his eyes drifted towards the dance floor as he watched the new couple dance awkwardly with each other. He smiled and as he lifted his head he saw both Francis and his mate Jeanne come up onto the stage. Francis opened the large wooden case from before, and both the Betas worked to move the large golden harp from its confinements. Next, the male Beta grabbed a smaller, black case and from it, produced a violin and bow. The mates then sat down in front of another pair of microphones and Francis began to move the bow across the strings of the violin, causing soft vibrations to echo through the microphone and to the crowd.

_“If I was a sculptor, but then again, no._

_Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show._

_I know it’s not much but it’s the best I can do,_

_My gift is my song and this one’s for you,”_

Alfred closed his eyes as he pictured the lyrics, every moment from his past from when he and Matthew would sing the song coming to life with each word. They danced and sang the song all through out their lives… it was only fitting that it would also be present in the biggest day of the younger’s life.

_“And you can tell everybody this is your song._

_It may be quite simple but now that it’s done,_

_I hope you don’t mind,_

_I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words,_

_How wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”_

As he sung the last word, Alfred heard the harp being strummed, adding a sense of other-worldliness to the song. His blue eyes opened and watched as Francis and Jeanne smiled at each other as they played their instruments, love flowing out of their looks alone. It was then, in that moment, that Alfred realized that was what having a mate was like; just looking at each other and knowing that your mate loved you with all their being, without ever having to say a word. As this epiphany sunk in, the Alphas head turned slightly, but never missed a chord or line, and looked out into the crowd for something. He didn’t know why, but Alfred felt the need to find something, _someone_ , but as to what or who it was, he was lost.

_“I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss._

_Well a few of the verses well they’ve got me quite cross._

_But the sun’s been quite kind while I wrote this song,_

_It’s for people like you that keep it turned on”_

He was lost as to why he felt he needed to look out into the crowd of dry and wet eyes alike, browns, violets, and blues of friends and families melting together. Yes, he was lost, and he wanted to be found by whomever it was that he felt like he had to find.

_“So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do,_

_You see I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue._

_Anyway the thing is what I really mean,_

_Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen.”_

As his brain was starting to take control over his emotions again, and tell him that he was being ridiculous, Alfred started to turn his attention back to the piano. However, before getting too far, he noticed a sparkle of green in the crowd of blues and browns. It reminded him of trees in summer as they swayed in the warm wind under the sun’s bright rays of gold, and it warmed his heart.

_“And you can tell everybody this is your song._

_It may be quite simple but now that it’s done,_

_I hope you don’t mind,_

_I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words,_

_How wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”_

Alfred felt his face break into a large smile as those eyes looked up at his own, his cheeks warming slightly as the owner of the green eyes returned his smile with a small one of his own. The young man’s black suit with his green tie made Alfred’s heart flutter as it enhanced the Omega’s soft, pale skin and vibrant emerald eyes that made Alfred feel warm inside.

_“I hope you don’t mind,_

_I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words,”_

The singing man broke his trance from the man in the crowd and looked down at his brother as he softly sang the last couple of stanzas. The brothers shared that moment in equality, unknowingly, of their love for another being. The younger knowing of his own love for years, and the older just realizing it seconds before; but they were equivalent all the same.

_“How wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”_

Alfred turned his attention once again towards Arthur, as his fingers instinctively found the keys they had to press. His lips moved to allow the final words out of his body towards the newly bound mates, but the words also seemed to want to leave his heart towards the Omega who kept a fire in his eyes. Alfred felt his mind scream at him for being an idiot to think that he could “love” someone who hated just hours before. It was true, the man was infuriating, obnoxious, corrected everything Alfred said, and even drunkenly flirted with him. Alfred would usually never associate with someone like Arthur. Yet, he was there when Alfred was not emotionally sound, and Alfred was there when he needed someone to help protect him.

However, there was a large load of doubt in Alfred’s mind that the Omega felt the same, or even ever had the same thoughts occur to him. He knew that he had hurt the Omega and- And for the first time, Alfred finally felt guilty for what he had done. While there still was the instinct of showing who was Omega and who was Alpha, Alfred felt his heart sink in realization that he had hurt the young man many times whether it was physically or verbally. Then again, Alfred did take quite a bit abuse from Arthur’s brother for what he had done, good or bad. And Alfred also ended up with food poisoning from Arthur’s scones that one day in cooking class. There was also the time that-

Before Alfred’s thoughts could travel any further, Antonio stood and grabbed the microphone at the front of the stage and announced that it was time for dinner and for everyone to take their seats at the tables. Alfred stood and shook his head. It was ridiculous how all of these feelings and ideas kept messing with his head. He was a strong and proud Alpha, and he knew that it was just the heat of the moment with all the romantic crap going on around him that he felt like he “loved” that sad excuse for an Omega. He walked down the steps on the back of the stage and as he turned to start towards the tables, he felt a pair of eyes looking at him.

As he looked up, his mind cried in agony of the emotional hurricane that was about to befall him and his heart leaped for joy at the sight before him. Arthur stood by the stage, rubbing his arm nervously as he walked towards the Alpha.

“You did quite well singing that song. It was truly brilliant,” Arthur spoke softly, making Alfred hate and love the sound that floated from his mouth.

“I-“ Alfred tried to begin, but was cut off by Arthur.

“I was wondering if that offer was still up for grabs,” He looked away shyly.

“Offer?”

“You know, that one you asked me a few days back in the library,”

Part of Alfred wanted to pick the blushing Omega up and twirl him around in glee. But he knew better than to act like that. He was an Heir-Alpha, and he wouldn’t just throw himself before Arthur. Oh no, the Omega had to work for it.

“I don’t really remember,” Alfred looked up in thoughtfulness.

“Wha-what? What do you mean you ‘don’t remember’?!” Arthur’s face heated up.

Alfred couldn’t help it, but Arthur just looked too adorable in that moment to make the Omega to mad and ruin it all. So he took a step closer and bent at the hip slightly so that he and Arthur were literally face-to-face. “Maybe if you reminded me somehow? Maybe give me a key word or something?” The Alpha blatantly teased.

Arthur obviously caught the teasing nature in the other voice, as his face went red with embarrassment and his brow furrowed in anger. “You know what?! Nevermind!” Arthur turned quickly as he threw his hands in the air to say that he gave up on trying to reason with the Alpha. Though, as his body nearly made a full turn away from the Alpha, a hand grabbed his wrist and spun him back around, an arm wrapping around his waist.

“I’m kidding. And yes, I’d love for you to be my date,” Alfred smiled at the short male’s shocked face, and decided to screw his pride, for the Omega in his arms was just too precious to let go of in that moment. Yes, his mind still told him he was an idiot, but what better kind of idiot to be than an idiot in love? 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up: This chapter goes pretty fast. There is actually a large span of time between the beginning and the end, I just focus on the main points instead of everything.

Weeks following the reception of Matthew’s and Gilbert’s Bonding Ceremony were wonderfully confounding and strange for Alfred. He found himself arriving early to pick up Arthur and talking to the boy in the car right up until the bell rang for school to begin, trying to spend as much time as possible with him. While there still existed their bickering over music or only speaking to each other in the car, Alfred felt closer to Arthur more than he ever thought he would in the past. The passion to get to know the Omega came out of nowhere, and it confused Alfred to no end. But at the same time it brought him a sense of a goal that he needed to reach, something that Alphas loved to feel.

 

Alfred was a competitive person. All Alphas were that way, especially when it came to Omegas. Alfred had watched a lot of his teammates on the football team come to practice either on cloud nine and acting like they owned the place, or on the brink of tears. It was a common thing to see in schools, from first grade in elementary school to senior year in high school, as every Alpha learnt how to fight and stake claims. It almost always starts with either a toy or a piece of class room where one Alpha child would claim whatever it was as “his” in elementary school. Then all the other Alphas would hear about it, and if they wanted what the other Alpha had, then they would challenge them for it. The challenges were simple in the beginning, things like “I bet I can run from here to that wall faster than you”, but as the kids got older, the competitions changed in to “I will kick your sorry ass if you look at  _my_  Omega again”. The challenges also stopped being about toys, as the fights became either about tribe rights or mates. Brothers would duke it out to see who was stronger, and therefore, who should lead their family, or best friends would be at each other’s throats for the attention of a potential mate. Yes, it was primal, but it was instinct. And it didn’t hurt that Omegas were drawn to stronger Alphas.

Yes, Alfred had seen all of this, but he rarely ever involved in the fights himself. He preferred to sit on the sidelines and watch, only interfering when someone issued the challenge first. Sure, there were the times that some jackass who thought he was Head Alpha of the school would challenge him to court his brother, but they always failed.

‘ _Yeah, those were the days… until Gilbert and the rest of them showed up,_ ’ Alfred felt his face scrunch up in the memory of the day that Francis introduced Alfred and Matthew to his friends Gilbert, Antonio, and (by default of being Gilbert’s brother) Ludwig. That day was the first and only day that Alfred had ever met his match in a fight. All other fights that the blonde had been in were either win or lose, the former more so than the later, but not this one. Alfred had caught the albino Alpha flirting with his brother, something that no one had the gall to do before challenging him, and thus, never had the opportunity to do. It was the first fight Alfred ever instigated, and the first fight that Alfred didn’t win. Of course, Gilbert didn’t win either, and if it was for Ludwig and Antonio pulling the two apart, they probably would have killed one another.

‘ _Guess that’s when Mattie and Gilbert… oh well,’_  Alfred shook the negative thoughts out his head. What was done was done, and Matthew was no longer living under the Jones family’s roof now that he and Gilbert had a place out of town, and Matthew transferred schools to an “Omega Only” school near his new abode. It felt lonely of course, with his best friend and brother gone, but Alfred pulled through. And now with the task of getting Arthur’s attention, Alfred rarely even noticed his quiet younger brother’s absence in his life.

Something about being in the English Omega’s presence just made Alfred calm, giddy, and nervous all at once, and he absolutely loved and hated it. Arthur’s usually snarky remarks seemed more gentle with less bite to them, making them more teasing then anything else. Alfred even started to pick up on the Omega’s different scents, something that only those close enough to each other mentally and physically could recognize. All these things were what an Alpha would do with a potential mate, which Arthur was most definitely not to Alfred. There were moments that the Alpha wished that he was that special to the Omega, but Alfred knew better than to make empty wishes. To Alfred, the Omega saw him as nothing more than another classmate and his mode of transportation to and from school.

This Monday morning in which Alfred was on his way to pick up Arthur was no different, really. Alfred arrived early to pick Arthur up around 7 and went up to knock on the door. As of late the Kirkland family was becoming uncomfortably more comfortable with Alfred coming early and sometimes even asked him to join them for breakfast. Alfred gained a new friendship in Arthur’s older brother Niles and Mrs. Kirkland was beginning to actually seem sincere (on the outside and the inside). As the door opened, Alfred gave a bright smile that you usually only see on farm boys that just came from church.

“Good Morning Mrs. Kirkland. I was-“

Alfred felt his mouth go dry as the door opened all the way; revealing a half-awake Arthur who only had a pair of pants on. His hair was a mess, his eyes tired and heavy, but something about him was… alluring. It was not the fact that the boy didn’t have a shirt on, no, Alfred had seen plenty of bare chests in the locker rooms and Arthur was only a smaller, not as muscular version of those guys. It also was not because of Alfred’s newest discovered want for the young man; this was much stronger than that. Usually Alfred was content just be in the same breathing space as the other. But this, whatever “this” was, made Alfred want to kiss the boy right then and there. And he almost did, if it wasn’t for Mrs. Kirkland.

“Arthur! You’ll get sick standing there without a shirt on! And- Oh my goodness, Alfred! I am so sorry that Arthur isn’t ready!” The woman came bounding up next to her son just to usher him up the stairs to what Alfred could only assume was the young man’s bedroom. Alfred let himself in through the open door and closed it behind him, keeping the cold December wind outside, and took off his jacket to drape it over his arm. Alfred stood there in the entry way, unsure of what he should do.

“What ya doing just standing there Jones? You look like a lost pup,”

Alfred cracked a smile as he ventured further into the house, “Good morning to you too Niles,”

Niles, Arthur’s three year older brother, was a young Beta with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes who had a sense of pride about him, but knew his place as a Beta. He sat comfortably in one of the many chairs that encircled his family’s dining room table drinking some sort of liquid that Alfred only hoped was coffee. The first time that Alfred had showed up so early was the Monday after Matthew’s Bonding Ceremony and Mrs. Kirkland was beside herself on trying to get Alfred as comfortable as possible. She asked him if he would like some tea after she sat him down at the table with Mr. Kirkland and Niles, and Alfred responded with a ‘sure, why not’.  That was when Alfred decided that if he ever did get a chance at a shot with Arthur, that their first problem in their relationship would be over how gross tea was. To the Alpha tea was nothing more than hot water with some sugar and milk in it.

‘ _Disgusting,’_  Alfred shivered at the memory as he sat down next to the older Beta. Mr. Kirkland was on a business trip back in England which left only Mrs. Kirkland, Niles, and Arthur in the house, or at least that was what the old man had said the previous Friday morning. Yes, Alfred had become a regular at the Kirkland household, much to Arthur’s versed annoyance. The Omega had expressed his irritation to Alfred the third day the young Alpha had showed up to his house at “seven in the bloody morning”. That was another moment in which Alfred realized something: Arthur was adorable when he got all uppity and British.

“I’d offer you some tea, but I think you made it clear a couple weeks back that you rather not drink ‘watered down hot milk’,” Niles chuckled as he set his cup down. “So what’s the excuse this week? You and Arthur have another ‘club meeting’? Or is this week where you both ‘offered to help organize the library’ again?” Niles teased Alfred. He seemed to be the only one, that would vocalize it at least, that knew what Alfred was doing. The Beta had even taken Alfred aside one day and confronted him about it and told him that while his parents and he didn’t mind, Scot definitely would. He also told Alfred that there could be a great possibility that Arthur wouldn’t even give him a chance, as he didn’t express any of those sorts of feelings to his family. Needless to say, Alfred was downtrodden.

“I could just tell the truth,” Alfred openly contemplated.

“Could you handle rejection if he responded poorly?” Niles asked before drinking more of his tea. Alfred watched the elder, but before he could respond, the sound of footsteps resonated through the house.

“Alfred let’s go,” Arthur’s voice seethed as his mother chased after him.

“Arthur Kirkland! Your hair is an utter mess!”

“Oh here she comes with the flat iron again. You would think that she would have learnt from the several other failed attempts,” Niles teased his brother from across the house.

“I don’t care mum! And Niles, just shut up,” Arthur was walking towards the kitchen, grabbing Alfred’s arm once he reached the Alpha.

“You better hurry or she might convince you that need to put flowers and bows in your hair so you look more ‘appealing to few eligible Alphas left’,” Niles mockingly teased as he watched Arthur’s face become flustered and Alfred’s confused.

“I told you to shut up! Now come on already!” Arthur’s voice was harsh, but Alfred picked up on the true scent of the Omega:  _pleading and embarrassment._  Alfred stood up instantly and nodded, turning his hand so that he was the one grabbing Arthur’s wrist and guided them out of the house and out to his car before Mrs. Kirkland could get all the way down the steps of the plush carpeted stairs. Alfred felt like he wasn’t controlling his own body as guided Arthur into the car and ran over to his side, quickly turning the automobile on and driving off towards the school. They still had a good 45 minutes or so before school started, but the way Arthur looked told Alfred to get him out of that house as soon as possible. After getting about a mile away from said house, Alfred slowed down and stole a quick glance at his passenger.

Arthur’s eyes were glazed and he looked as if he was in a trance as he stared out the front window. The two boys remained quiet for a while, the silence was unnerving for Alfred, but not quite as awkward as he was used to when Arthur stayed silent for extended periods like that. The silence was then broken when Arthur mumbled something.

“What was that?” Alfred inquired.

Arthur sighed, “I said ‘I’m sorry that you had to see that’,”

Alfred was taken aback once again thanks to Arthur. “See what?”

“My family,”

Alfred thought about this before chuckling, “Dude, I see your family almost everyday. Today wasn’t all that different,”

Arthur let out another sigh, this one carrying the feel of irritation with it. The silence resumed until a low grumbling noise drifted through the car, bringing Alfred’s attention back to the small Omega next to him, noticing the reddening in the boy’s face.

“Hungry?” Alfred smiled.

Arthur meekly nodded, “But don’t worry about it,”

The Alpha looked at Arthur and smiled, “Let’s go get something to eat. We still have more than a half an hour till class,”

“But-“

“Don’t worry, I got it covered,” Alfred smiled and took a second to look at Arthur.

It was strangely comforting to Alfred to see Arthur smile. His smiles were small, few and far in between, but that were full of purpose and meaning. They were warm and soft, and caused his eyes to react the same way. It was one of these types of smiles that Arthur gave Alfred on their way to school from the restaurant they stopped at. It was a dive of a place, but the food was good and service was friendly; the perfect place for (what Alfred classified as) their “first date”.

The following days were similar, Alfred would take Arthur to breakfast at the same place every morning and the Omega would smile more and more each time. And with each smile, more and more Alfred felt the feeling of wanting to hold the Omega and cherish him. Soon, a week had passed, and all the while, Alfred began to listen to Arthur’s words and found them to be more informative than harassing, and his tone of voice was now the first thing Alfred listened for before he even thought of the words that were spoken. He noticed how strong and self-reliant Arthur was, arguing his point their classes and working hard on assignments in his free time when he could be hanging around the few still eligible Alphas in their school. Alfred began to realize just how much he admired the smaller blonde, and how enticing his determination really was. Whenever Alfred thought about it while he was alone, the Alpha found himself laughing at the very idea that some AB Omega who turned his world upside down in all the wrong ways would be the same young man that he was now trying to pursue. But he knew what he wanted, and he knew that it could be denied by the very same thing that he desired. So as Alfred felt determination bubble up inside of him as he thought about asking Arthur to go out with him, he also prepared to fall  _hard_.

It was on their eighth “date” that Alfred finally rounded up all of his courage and threw his dignity on the floor for either Arthur to pick up and hold, or to trample over and move on. They were sitting in Alfred’s car in front of the school when Alfred asked him, stuttering and unsure of himself he gently grabbed Arthur’s hand. The Alpha had, honestly, never been as nervous as he was in that moment. He knew full well that the chances of Arthur even  _thinking_  about giving “them” a chance was ridiculously slim.

“Alfred, what is wrong?” Arthur cocked his head.

The taller blonde felt his face go red and then white as he thought of all the possible consequences to this one action. However, he threw caution to the wind as he opened his mouth and uttered the words that were causing his heart and brain so much pain.

“Ar-Arthur,” Alfred began shakily before clearing his throat. ‘ _Just get it over with!’_ Alfred sat up straight, squeezed Arthur’s hand and gave the boy a pleading smile, “Arthur, I was wondering you wouldn’t mind going out with me,”

The moment following those words felt like forever to Alfred. He sat there staring into green eyes that looked absolutely dumbfounded. Alfred tried his hardest not to show his fear of possible rejection, his eyes hard and unmoving from Arthur’s own. Arthur was the first to move, and a big move it was. Before Alfred could even blink, the Omega tumbled out of the car, grabbing his bag and slammed the door and bolted for the school buildings.

Alfred felt his world crumble into rubble, then small pieces and, finally, dust that blew away from him. His heart sank in shock and sadness, feeling the gravity of the world crash down on him as he realized that he had just been  _rejected by Arthur Kirkland: the only Omega he had ever been truly interested in._

First period was a living hell as he couldn’t take his eyes off of ArthurThe rest of the day was a blur to Alfred; thankfully none of his teachers called on him for his mind was elsewhere. ‘ _Has someone else already asked him? But he would have told me that, right? Or maybe he likes Betas. His parents are a Beta-Omega couple after all. Or perhaps he just thinks of me as more of a friend? Oh shit, what if I ruined our friendship?! Now I won’t ever be able to look him in the face again! Damn him! Why does it have to him or all people that my stupid brain keeps thinking that I like? Stupid, stupid, stu-‘_

 _“_ Alfred? Are you alright?”

Alfred snapped out of his self-loathing for a minute to look up at Kiku who was standing in front of his desk. “What?”

“Class is over and you still look like you are trying to figure out the mysteries of the world,” The Japanese Beta’s face was one of true concern, an expression that was one of the few he showed.

Alfred looked at the clock to verify what the Beta had spoken was true. “Ah, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry Kiku but I have to get going,”

Kiku took a step back and watched Alfred pack up. “Oh, Alfred,”

“Yeah?” Alfred didn’t look up from his bag that he was packing up.

“Here is the homework for this class. I figured that you didn’t catch it at the beginning of class,” Kiku smiled gently as he set the paper down. “And, if you are able, could you share the homework with Arthur? He wasn’t in class so he missed it as well,”

Alfred froze at the mention of the Omega. ‘ _He wasn’t in class?’_  Alfred lifted his head, but when he did, Kiku was already gone.  “Freaking Japanese people and being ninjas,” Alfred muttered to himself as he picked up the paper with the assignment and left the empty classroom.

As Alfred arrived at his last period two things caught his attention: 1: Everyone was talking in a circle around Feliciano and 2. Arthur was still missing. The Alpha set his stuff down in his usual chair, looked at the crowd and then to his teacher and decided to bite. “So… what’s with the Gossip Gaggle over there?”

Mr. Edelstein looked up from some paperwork on his desk and turned to face the group, eye brow arching, “I can only guess it’s because Lovino had his baby since the school received a Leave of Absence note from him yesterday,”

‘ _Lovino was pregnant?’_  Alfred’s eyes grew wide. ‘ _I know he was looking… a little big recently, but ‘pregnant’? Seriously?’_

“Alfred, I don’t I will be in need your help today if you did not want to stick around,” Mr. Edelstein stated.

Usually Alfred did stay in class even when the stuck up Austrian offered, if not for Arthur (as of late) but also because his students made some really delicious stuff. But, considering Alfred was still trying to get over the rejection that he had received that morning, the boy’s stomach wasn’t exactly open to the idea of food at the moment. So with a teacher’s note, a head still full of questions, a heavy heart and really no place to go, Alfred headed towards the music room. He always found that if he needed to clear his head, paying one of his favorite teachers a visit always helped.

“Why hello there Alfred,” Mrs. Edelstein’s voice rung through the room as she watched the wheat blonde boy walk into her class. “Do you need to get something off your chest?” She smiled a knowing smile as she got up and walked towards the younger Alpha.

“I-“ Alfred caught himself before letting out everything that had happened that morning. While Mrs. Edelstein was a comforting presence, Alfred wasn’t quite sure he was ready to admit, even to himself, everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks.

Elizaveta smiled and patted Alfred on the arm, “It’s alright. There are some things that are just not meant to be shared,” the brunette woman guided Alfred over to one of the many seats in the large music room. “Though, I did have a question for you,”

“What’s up?”

Elizaveta shifted around nervously for a bit, “I know it’s not right to gossip about students, but is it true what happened?”

Alfred was lost for a moment, letting his mind sift through everything to try and figure out what the woman was talking about. “You mean with Lovino’s baby? Uh, yeah I think. But wouldn’t you already-“

“No, no, no!” Mrs. Edelstein shook her hands in front of her face to stop Alfred from progressing. “I mean, with  _Arthur_ ,”

Alfred’s mind stopped all it’s thought process and started to panic. ‘ _What? Something happened to him?’_

Elizaveta noticed the confusion in the younger’s eyes. “Didn’t you hear about it?” Alfred shook his head. “Oh! Well, it’s just a rumor, but apparently the boy had to be rushed home from his second period!”

Alfred felt shock hit him. “Wh-what?!”

Elizaveta shook her head eagerly, “Yes! Apparently, the poor dear, was so stressed for some reason that he collapsed! And on top of that, Yao said that he is close to his heat and needs to stay home until after the cycle ends!”

Alfred’s face paled at the news. Then it hit him. The signs had been there for the past week or so. From mood swings to lack of interest and being hungry at breakfast which he usually skipped… all signs of an Omega who was about to go into heat. But the big epiphany was the realization that this morning, Arthur must have known he was about to start, and Alfred asked him the question. Arthur got scared, instincts kicked in, and he ran. Not out of rejection of Alfred’s feelings but out of the fear that he was going to be taken advantage of. ‘ _I’m such an idiot,’_ Alfred’s hand met his face in annoyance of his own stupidity. Alfred knew he had to fix this. It was partially his fault for Arthur fainting, but now the Omega was ill because of it. Alfred stood quickly and grabbed his bag.

“Mrs. Edelstein, I’m sorry but I really to get going,” Alfred half said, half yelled as he ran out the classroom doors.

Elizaveta smiled and waved him off as the door slammed behind him. “Aw, what a cute couple,”

Once Alfred reached his car he threw his bag into the back seat and revved up the car before peeling out of the parking lot, racing towards Arthur’s house. His car was going sixty miles per hour, but his heart was going a hundred. Something told him he had to get to Arthur. It told him he needed to comfort, reassure, and protect the Omega. Had his mind been a bit more clear, he might have recognized it as instincts, or rather,  _mating instincts_.

As he pulled up to Arthur’s front lawn, Alfred jumped out of his car as soon as it was off. He ran up to the house without even bothering to lock his precious baby of a “metal death trap” as Arthur liked to put it. He frantically pounded on the door, wishing someone would have been physic enough to have the door already open for him when he pulled up. As soon as the door open, Alfred froze, mind, body, and spirit.

“What do ya think yer doin’ here?” A flaming red haired man asked as he leaned against the door frame.

“Allistor,” Alfred seethed. ‘ _Fuck my life,_ ’ Alfred had to think fast. Then it came to him. “Uh, I have some of Arthur’s homework from a couple of the classes we have together. I was hoping I could give them to him?”

Allistor looked the boy up and down. “How about you give the papers to  _me_  and I’ll give them to Artie,” He took a step forward towards Alfred to push the younger Alpha back.

Now, in any other situation, Alfred would have been smart and just given the older man the paper and wished Arthur a safe recovery and left. But this was not a usual situation. No, for Allistor was an Alpha protecting one of his pack and Alfred was an Alpha seeking out the unmated Omega of said pack, and he would gain right to the Omega, even if he had to prove himself. But then again, the Omega wasn’t exactly willing, or at least he had not voiced his willingness to the courting Alpha. But that changed the moment a head of ruffled blonde hair peaked through the door, large eyebrows and green eyes following soon after.

“Arthur!” Alfred nearly shouted in surprise.

Allistor turned around, “Arthur! What are you doin’ out of bed?! The doctor said-“

“I know what the doctor said Scot,” Arthur cut his older brother off. “I just could sleep with that loud banging and then the smell of two Alphas about to kill each other ruined any chances of even an uncomfortable sleep. But, if you don’t mind,” His gaze shifted nervously over to Alfred, “I’d like to get my ‘homework’ from Alfred myself. I might have some  _questions_  for him,”

And with that, Arthur guided Alfred into the house, and up the stairs before Allistor could figure out what the two were doing. “Arthur-“ Alfred began.

“Shush,” Arthur fumed as he pulled Alfred up and into his room, closing and locking the door behind them.

Alfred’s senses were instantly assaulted with the smell of Omega pheromones, and had it not been for a hard push that caused him to lose balance and fall on small single bed in the middle of the room, he would have been lost in them. He looked up at a blushing, but narrow eyed Arthur.

“Um Arthur, I just wanted to say about this morning I-“

“Oh yes, this morning! The  _incident_  this morning that ruined my day and will definitely embarrass me until the day I graduate! What do you want Alfred?! To get in my pants and knock me up? Well sorry, but even this Omega, unmated or not, knows when he’s asking for trouble,” Arthur yelled.

Alfred sat there and took it. He had been prepared for this the moment he got in his car at the school, knowing that it would follow the moment he showed his face at the Kirkland household. Though, he wasn’t prepared for Arthur to be  _this_ pissed off at him. He kept his head low and dared not look Arthur in the eye, afraid that it would set him off even more. Well, he did, until he heard what could only be described as quiet sobbing sounds. Alfred’s head whipped up and what he saw broke his heart and made his instincts kick in all that once.

Arthur was crying, and all Alfred could think to do was pull Arthur in to a hug. The Omega’s body went tense at the contact, but he soon went limp as he began to cry even harder. Alfred had never been in a situation like this and only hoped that whatever he did impulsively was correct. He rubbed Arthur’s back and let out quiet ‘shoosh’ sounds to try and sooth the Omega like he had seen people do in movies.

“Al-Alfred I don’t kn-know what to d-do!” Arthur sobbed into Alfred’s chest.

“’Do’ what Arthur?” Alfred asked quietly and as calmly as possible.

Arthur’s crying slowed down, and his heaving slowed down as he looked up at Alfred with reddened eyes from his tears. “Nevermind, it’s stupid,” Arthur whispered as he tried to pull away from the Alpha’s warm embrace. But Alfred kept his hold firm around Arthur’s waist.

“No, tell me Arthur,” Alfred insisted gently.

“No, it’s stupid and wouldn’t work,” Arthur tried harder to pull away. But Alfred was not going to be left in the dark nor denied by the person he had gone through so much to just hold in his arms.

“Arthur,” Alfred’s voice was just as quiet, but the tone was harsher and his arms wrapped even tighter around Arthur. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. I promise that what I asked you this morning… I didn’t ask you because of your heat. Hell, I didn’t even know you were about to start! I asked you because I really do-“ Alfred gulped. Yes, he was ready to ask Arthur out, but to confess  _love_? He didn’t know if he was ready for that. He looked into Arthur’s eyes, the way the green was glazed over from all his tears, but they showed complete awareness of what Alfred was saying. They were so intelligent, so bright, and warm… everything about Arthur was warm, even his shaking body. “I- I really do love you Arthur. I really can’t wrap my head around it, but it’s true. I honestly don’t know when it happened… I mean we were fighting each other only a few months ago, but for some reason I- I love the way you correct me, the way you question everything I do, the way that you listen to me, the way that you laugh, talk, walk, even cry. They’re all beautiful and I love every little thing about them and about you,” He said it, and he couldn’t stop himself even if wanted to. It was the truth; the one that he had been denying all that time, and now it was out in the open for Arthur to hear.

The Omega’s eyes grew wide in shock. However, before he could respond, something warm touched his face. It was soft, but rough, warm, but not hot, and gentle, but fierce, and Arthur loved it. He pushed back into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Alfred’s neck as he pulled him closer. It was a fairly quick kiss that only involved their lips and nothing more, but it was meaningful in every way. When they pulled away from each other Arthur spilled out his thoughts and how long he had loved Alfred, and how he thought it was just heat hormones, but he knew better in those past few weeks that they had been spending more and more time together. The boys started to laugh at their own stupidity, holding each other close and letting their mixed body heat ward off the cold winter air in the once lonely Omega’s room.

The boys stayed like that for a while, talking about their past, present, and future. Alfred had an idea strike him as they talked about living together. It was fairly early in their relationship, but the time was soon upon them, and it was the best opportunity that they were going to get to solidify their future together.

“Arthur,” Alfred addressed the Omega while he was rambling about wall paints and garden flowers.

“Yes, Love?” Arthur looked up at his potential mate through thick blonde eyelashes. Alfred shuddered at Arthur calling him “Love”, hoping that it was true enough that Arthur wouldn’t get offended by him asking the question that was plaguing his mind in the current moment.

“Arthur, please don’t get mad at me for asking this. It’s just, I want to know if you’re as serious about this as I am,” Alfred’s voice was serious, but loving.

 Arthur cocked his head and lifted an eye brow before smiling, “Alfred, I believe that, in most of the things that involve you and me, I am usually  _more_  serious about them than you are. But what is wrong? Is something bothering you?” Arthur was concerned as he reached his hand up to touch Alfred’s cheek.

Alfred smiled at the joke (though true as it may be) and laid his hand on top of Arthur’s. “I was just thinking, if you want, we could become mates with your upcoming heat,” Alfred smiled, but quickly back pedaled as he caught the flash of insulting Arthur’s eyes, “B-but if you don’t want to do it and give it sometime, we could wait till whenever you’re ready,” Alfred sheepishly corrected himself.

The Alpha felt the Omega in his arms scan his face before looking deep into his eyes, trying to figure out if the Alpha was joking or serious no doubt. “Alfred, love, I really would love for that to happen,” Arthur smiled as he rubbed his finger against Alfred’s cheek. “But,”

‘ _Of course there’s going to be a ‘but’! Dammit,’_  Alfred internally groaned.

“We haven’t asked for permission and there is  _no_  way, in hell, that Scot would ever approve of us with my heat due to start any day now. He would want to test you, and that could take weeks!”

“Test me how?” Alfred’s curiosity was peaked.

“Well, back in the UK, its tradition that an Alpha asking for permission to just court an Omega needs to show that they are capable enough to protect the Omega just as well as the Omega’s family’s Head Alpha, which is what Scot is for my family,” Arthur explained.

“Wait, so I just have to challenge him?” Alfred smirked.

“Alfred, drop the cocky attitude,” Arthur chastised. “You don’t seem to understand the significance of test. If you lose, then that is it! There are no do overs!” Arthur was panicking, to which Alfred quickly responded by rubbing Arthur’s back again.

“Okay, okay. I understand. Just try to calm down, please Babe? I don’t like to see you like this,” Alfred nuzzled into Arthur’s hair, taking in the scent of the shampoo the boy used. “I promise, I won’t issue a challenge until you think I’m ready, okay?” Arthur meekly nodded and nuzzled into Alfred’s chest.

It had been about four in the afternoon when Alfred and Arthur pulled away, knowing that Alfred should get going before Allistor flipped even more of a bitch than what he was going to already. So with jotting down the actual homework that Alfred had brought, and a long kiss good bye, Arthur walked Alfred down the stairs to see him out. The boys had made it to the bottom step when they felt three pairs of eyes on them.

“Well, if it isn’t the love birds coming down form their nest,”

“Scot don’t be a dick,”

“Shut it Niles. I have every right to know what’s going one with the members of this family as Head Alpha,” Scot fumed.

Alfred looked towards the formal living room of the house to see Allistor, Niles and Mrs. Kirkland looking towards him and Arthur with unreadable faces on the latter two and rage on the face of the first.

“I-I was just seeing Alfred to the door, he’s going to start heading home and-“ Arthur began.

“Damn straight he better be headin’ home! He has no business being in this house in the first place,” Allistor shouted.

“Scot!” Mrs. Kirkland stood.

“Its true! I will not allow my baby brother, your youngest, to be courted by someone who can’t protect him let alone respect him!”

“I can to protect him! And I respect him more than you ever do! At least I hear what he is saying other than what I want to hear!” Alfred cut in before his mind could catch up with his words.

The house fell silent and everyone stared at Alfred. Then came the light thuds of someone approaching the pair of blonds on the steps of the stairs.

“Is that a  _challenge_  Alfie boy?” Allistor smirked.

Alfred looked the older Alpha square in the eye, barely registering Arthur tugging on his sleeve and whispering “you promised” in his ear. “No. But it’s the truth,” Alfred glared.

Within the blink of an eye, Alfred pushed Arthur back onto the stairs as Allistor charged him, slamming the blonde Alpha into the wall by the stair well.

“Allistor!” Mrs. Kirkland and Arthur screeched at the same time. Alfred grabbed Allistor’s fist that came towards his face and threw the older Alpha off of him. The two stood, glaring at each other and blocking out everyone else in the room.

“Fine,” Allistor spat. “If you won’t offer the challenge, then I do. Alfred Jones, meet me out in the back yard of this house in ten minutes. We’ll see if you’re Alpha enough to have a Kirkland as a mate,”

Once Allistor had disappeared out of sight, Alfred looked up to Arthur will fearful eyes. He had promised the Omega that he wouldn’t issue the challenge, and he hadn’t. But in the heat of the moment, and with his pride on the line, Alfred could not turn down the Kirkland Family’s Head Alpha. Alfred had expected to see Arthur’s eyes full of anger and regret, but what he was met with as he watched the crop of blonde hair approach him was a pair of angered and passionate lips on his own. Arthur pulled away and laid his chin on Alfred’s shoulder.

“Go show that fucker whose Alpha you are,” 


	20. Of Dominance Fights and Disownment

_One punch… Two punch… A kick… Another jab to the face…. One return punch…. Another hook to the ribs… A hit to the face… The metallic taste of blood…_

To say that each blow “hurt” would have been an understatement.

 

Within a few minutes of Alfred meeting Allistor outside for the issued Dominance Fight, it had begun to snow softly, sticking to the ground and melting on the hot-headed boys’ bodies. The ground became slippery and in comparison of Allistor’s boots and Alfred’s sneakers, the elder Alpha had the upper hand of traction. On top of his environmental disadvantage, Alfred had been receiving more blows than delivering, and it all was starting to take a toll on his body as he shook from the cold and pain. Between the blood from his busted lip that was staining his shirt and a possibly cracked rib, Alfred should have been smart and quit before Allistor could do anymore damage to his quickly freezing body. But since meeting Arthur, when had Alfred ever used common sense? _Never,_ that’s when. Speaking of the Omega, Arthur was standing with his mother and brother inside the house, shielded from the chilling air and any overly unnecessary moves that might cause one of the Alphas to hit them.

Alfred was getting tired, but so was Allistor. The blonde Alpha had been watching the red head and noticed the slowing of his steps and heavy breathing that escaped his mouth in small puffs of steam like cigarette smoke against the December air. The older Alpha had few bruises on his face, but nothing of real significance or that would leave a mark after a few days of rest. No, Alfred was on the short end of the stick in this battle, and at the rate it was going, the blue eyed boy would be down for the count in a few more blows. The smirk that appeared on Allistor’s face told that he too was thinking the same thing. The fist that came at Alfred’s face also said that too, followed by the knee to the stomach.

In a blink of an eye, Alfred was on the ground, groaning and trying to figure out what just happened to him. Before he could figure out what was left and what was right, Allistor came at him again, this time to pick the boy up out of the newly landed snow on the ground before kneeing him in the gut one more for good measure.  Alfred gasped in surprise and pain before he hunched over, losing what little balance he had, having to lean on Allistor’s cold hand’s around his shirt collar for support. Allistor let go and allowed Alfred to fall to the ground, watching him through glaring green eyes that held no restraint or mercy. However, those eyes soon shifted and Allistor started to walk away, the light crunching of snow resonating in Alfred’s ears causing his head to lift as quickly as possible.

“Where-ha- are you going?” Alfred tried to yell.

Allistor stooped and turned to face the younger Alpha. “I think it’s pretty obvious who’s won here. You just stay there and we’ll act like none of this ever happened, that thing between you and my brother. You can go home with some dignity in tack,” Allistor turned around once again to walk towards his parent’s house.

Rule number one in fighting is that you never show fear. Rule number two is that you never turn your back to an opponent. Allistor did well to remember that second rule as his face met the snow covered grass of the well maintained back lawn of the Kirkland house hold. He was quickly turned around as Alfred straddled him and gave him a well-planned hook to his left cheek and shocked even Allistor. He then proceeded to land a few more blows to give Allistor a matching cut lip to match his own and a black eye just because he could. To the red head, Alfred shouldn’t have had enough energy to even get up, let alone tackle him. But there they were, looking at each other; one with surprise in his eyes and the other with contempt.

“That’s not going to happen,” Alfred seethed as he got up off of the Kirkland Alpha. “I already said my piece to Arthur, and god knows how much effort that took,” Alfred smirked to himself. “So I’m not going to let all that go to waste,” Allistor looked up at the younger, glaring weakly at him. The two Alphas stared at each other, daring their opponent to make the first move. It was in this moment that Alfred felt the sudden rush of adrenaline that he had before leave him, causing his legs to give out from under him and his body fall to the ground, groaning as his head hit the cold ground beneath him.

Inside the house Arthur stood with his mother, watching to see what would happen next. Niles, on the other hand, got bored fifteen minutes into the whole ordeal and left to the kitchen to start dinner. There was no doubt in his mind that Alfred would be staying, and between him and Allistor, the refrigerator would be empty within a half hour. Mrs. Kirkland held her youngest against her chest as she flinched at every blow each boy received outside. Arthur, however, was more annoyed by the fact that every time a punch was thrown or a kick delivered, his mother would “shield” his eyes from the violence. Granted, he didn’t like to see Alfred in the position that he was in most of the fight, but that tackle at the end made him break away from his mother’s grasp and press his face to the bitter, icy glass of the back patio door. When Alfred too fell to the ground, even the cold snow didn’t keep Arthur from throwing open the doors, much to Mrs. Kirkland’s distress, and run out to the exhausted men. 

“Don’t come any closer Arthur,” Allistor warned as he wearily rose to his feet. His glaring eyes were hazed over, and his face red from the cold, giving him a type of green-eyed devil look. “The fight isn’t over yet,” Allistor huffed out an explanation to warning off his brother.

The Omega froze as his brother snapped at him. It was something that all those whose families had Head Alphas learnt sooner or later: _To obey the Head with no questions asked_. If the Head says jump, you ask how high, and things like that. Arthur’s eyes darted back and forth between his brother and not-quite-official potential mate. Neither man looked good, least of all in any condition to keep fighting. But Arthur knew he couldn’t stop it; neither Alpha would allow him to even if he tried and he might get hurt in the process.

Alfred began to rise to his feet as he finally sensed Arthur’s presence, knowing that weakness was not to be shown to or tolerated by any Omega. With shaking frame and sore limbs, Alfred rose to his full height, being an inch or two taller than Allistor who too was on his feet. They knew, without words and only scents, that they needed to end this before Arthur or anyone else tried to interfere. Dominance Fights didn’t usually take longer than fifteen minutes as they were more often than not used to set dominance in a family at a young age. The very idea of issuing a formal challenge with a Head Alpha for an Omega was all but extinct from their developed society that frowned upon such “barbaric tactics” for gaining consent for mating.

“This isn’t going to take much longer, I promise,” Scot spat a drop of saliva and blood onto the snow, melting and coloring the pure, fresh fallen snow. The flash of red and green followed by gold and blue was too fast for one’s mind to process before both Alphas were on the ground, hands around the other’s throat. Noises that could only be described as “growls” found their way to Arthur’s ears as he watched his brother and (possible) mate strangle each other, their faces turning red with anger and lack of oxygen. Between the violence and the cold, Arthur was becoming worried.

Arthur felt his heart rate quickly increase as Alfred rolled the green eyed Alpha onto the ground, switching their positions and putting more pressure on the older Alpha’s neck. ‘ _This will go own until one of them ends up in the hospital or morgue!’_ Panic took over Arthur’s mind as the boys rolled over once again and Alfred started to let out wheezes instead of breathes. The crazed look in Allistor’s eyes told Arthur that he had to end it. ‘ _But… if I try to stop them, they’ll get pissed or I’ll get hurt… either way, they won’t stop. So how?’_ Arthur flinched as the Alfred landed a hard left hook to Allistor’s face and the pushed the red head off of him. ‘ _As long as Alfred wants to be ma- **potential mates** , and Allistor is the family’s Head Alpha, they won’t stop,’_

Arthur felt like lightning struck him as a solution to his problem came to mind, a crazy, life changing decision. If it had been a week prior, the next idea that came to Arthur would have seemed absolutely, in all ways possible, _ridiculous_. He might have thought about admitting himself to a mental institution, any Omega would. In the society that humans lived ever in since the Great Death, the idea that came to the young, unmated Omega would have meant death to those in his situation. But, it was an option; and the only one that would end the fighting at that.

Alfred let out a loud yell as Allistor grabbed and pulled his left arm at an angle with enough power to dislocate the humerus bone from the joint; thus leaving him with one good arm. The yell shocked Arthur to the core as he watched the man that he had been silently craving for since his last heat fall to the ground, clutching his shoulder with his right hand. Arthur knew his brother was an animal when it came to fighting, and never stopped until the job was done.

“Allistor,” Arthur shakily called out. The red head either didn’t hear him or chose to ignore him as he grabbed the younger Alpha by his injured arm and lift him of the ground, Alfred letting out another yelp of pain.

“ _Allistor_!” Arthur screeched over Alfred’s own cries, taking a quick leap towards the two. His heart was racing at the situation was becoming more and more problematic with each minute and as he watched each pain-delivering blow that Allistor hit Alfred with.

Allistor glared at Arthur through the corner of his eye, just daring the other to speak another word. “I told you not to come any closer. Yer going to get hurt if you keep trying to intervene,” Allistor warned with a harsh tone.

Arthur swallowed hard as Allistor let Alfred fall to the ground with a loud _crunch_ of the snow be compacted under his heavy, bloody body. Arthur had to end it, and even knowing the consequences, Arthur stood strong as he lifted his head and let loose the words that he could not take back once they left his mouth. Not without major consequences that is.

“Allistor, stop,” Arthur breathed out quietly, but loud enough to make the Alpha’s body flinch in recognition of a demand. “You’ve proved your point, now stop before you kill him. _Stop this fight. Now_ ,” Allistor turned his head slowly, death glaring in his eyes. Any sane Omega would know just how big of a death wish interrupting a fight such as this was, but Arthur kept his head held high and his shoulders square.

“What the _hell_ did you just say to me Arthur Kirkland?” Allistor seethed.

Arthur gulped. His brother’s eyes were hazy, but sharp as a knife that cut its way into the inner most parts of his soul. The glaring eyes did not affect Arthur’s pride however, and with the sudden kick to Alfred’s already broken and hurt form, Arthur felt a sense of protectiveness wash over him. He lunged out and grabbed Allistor’s arm, trying his hardest to pull the British Alpha away from the American. Everything was happening just as Arthur envisioned it, and if it continued to do so, Arthur felt his heart sink at the words that would surely leave his brother’s mouth.

It is a well-known fact in this world of Alphas, Betas, and Omegas, that no one really cares for an assertive Omega. And when it reaches to the point where an Omega will interrupt a Dominance Fight without consent, well, only bad things can only come from ill-planned choices. So when Allistor turned and pushed Arthur to the ground after the Omega grabbed his arm, and Arthur then continued to try and stop him, Allistor had enough. The fragile set up of family tribes and even rouge packs relies on the mutual agreement of dominance and submission between Alpha and Omegas and Betas to regulate the exchanges. Arthur had always walked a fine line with his brother in this sense, and Allistor tolerated him due to them being, well, brothers. However, a well-placed punch to Allistor’s already hurting side threw the Alpha over the edge.

“I swear to God Almighty, Arthur, if you try and interrupt this fight anymore, I will kill you!” Allistor barked at his younger brother. Arthur flinched at the loud voice but went for Allistor once again as he heard his mother shout something about “Omegas shouldn’t get into fights” from the back porch. This made Arthur smile on the inside. He had never really had the ‘flight’ instinct in him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Arthur’s humor quickly faded as Allistor went to kick Alfred’s struggling form from trying to get up, diving to grab Alfred before the oldest boy’s foot could hit him. And get to him he did, just in time for Allistor to kick Arthur instead on the small of his back.

Arthur yelped in pain, his body being so much more sensitive than usual. Allistor jumped back as soon as it registered to him what he had just done, the yelp causing him to jump more than anything. However, the surprise was quickly replaced by anger in Allistor’s being as his eyes went from wide and shocked to narrow and infuriated. Alfred’s head flew up in alert at the cry of pain, noticing for the first time that Arthur’s body was blocking his view of Allistor’s angered form. Alfred’s panic that rose quickly in his senses was that to rival Allistor’s anger in that moment.

“Arthur!” Alfred called.

“Arthur!” Mrs. Kirkland screamed from the house, being held back by her Beta son.

“ _Arthur,_ ” Allistor growled, “What the _fucking hell_ do you think you’re doing?”

Alfred looked up at the older Alpha then to the blonde that he was now holding, not knowing whether to set him aside and finish the fight, or if it was being suspended. Arthur shuddered when Allistor spoke, knowing well enough that he was on the brink of completing his plan; he just needed to push it a bit further. The kick to his back hurt, as it was meant for an Alpha to take, not a near-heat-Omega, but Arthur managed to gather up his strength and slowly got out of Alfred’s warm embrace and looked up towards his brother’s icy glare. Such similar viridian eyes as his own, but there was a sense of power that Arthur could not even pretend to have. But he had to in order for his plan to end the fighting and leave with Alfred to work. So, taking a deep breath, Arthur wormed his way out of Alfred’s protective grasp and stood shakily, raising his nervous, yet resolute, emerald eyes.

“I believe that this needs to stop. You know that experience outshines everything else in fights like this, and you are over powering Alfred. So please, Allistor,” Arthur took a step closer to his elder brother, soft and slow like he was approaching a wild animal, “Stop this useless fight. Alfred obviously cares enough about me to fight for me, so shouldn’t that be enough?”

The following moments felt like an eternity to everyone, the only real sound being the quiet crunch of snow as Alfred rose to his feet and the breeze that brought even more snow with it. Then, laughter could be heard. It was maniacal and as cold as the frozen water that hit everyone’s faces, and as it quieted down, Allistor directed his focus to the confused Alpha behind his brother.

“So yer going to let an _Omega_ protect you, Alfie boy? Guess that’s all the proof I need to know that yer no where close to being ‘good enough’ for my brother,” Allistor chuckled. Alfred let out a low, rumbling growl in response as he pushed pass the pain in his whole body to step in front of Arthur in a defensive manner.

Alfred glared at Allistor before retorting, “It just shows how much he-“

“How much he loves you, right?” Allistor cut in. “No. What it shows that you don’t excerpt enough power to control the situation. If you ‘love’ him as much as you think he ‘loves’ you, then you would have made sure he stayed out of the way and never came out here in the first place. But you didn’t, and now he’s hurt and yer on the losing end of this fight,”

Arthur listened to his brother’s words, feeling ashamed that he had intervened now. Especially since only half of his plan worked; he stopped the fighting, but was still forbidden from being with Alfred either way. Omegas should not involve themselves into the affairs of Alphas, AB blood type or not. It is their purpose to flee, protect, and nurture, not start or stop a fight that involve Alphas; that’s an Alpha’s job.  Arthur looked up at Alfred with hormone induced tears beginning to form in his eyes, “I-I am so sorry Al-“

“And as for you,” Allistor growled threateningly as his focus changed to Arthur. “You and Alfred can be mates,”

If there was a record for “most shocking moment”, Arthur was positive that He, Alfred, his mother, and his brother would have shattered the past one. As the shock wore off, Arthur felt both confusion and pure glee take over his body. But… there was something wrong with Allistor, Arthur just didn’t know quite what it was. It seemed like he had just gotten permission to go and do everything he had ever wanted, but there was a catch.

“Wh-what?!” Alfred yelled in shock. “You seriously mean it?” A smile began to form on Alfred’s lips as he received the best news that he had ever received.

“Of course,” Allistor said with a straight face.

‘ _His words and body language aren’t matching up… What are you thinking brother?’_ Arthur contemplated as his own short lived smile quickly faded. The atmosphere was not one of cheer, no matter how sweet the words sounded.

“Yeah, as long as he swears never to come back here,”

Allistor’s serious deliverance of seemingly good news all made sense now to Arthur. Both a sense of dread and pride swelled in Arthur’s chest as he concluded that his plan had worked: _End the fighting by getting disowned._ It really was the only thing Arthur could do to stop Alfred from getting beaten to death and still let the Alpha save face by walking away with the “prize” (heaven only knew how much Arthur felt like shooting himself when Niles pointed out that a “prize” was exactly what he was). After all, an Omega that technically didn’t have a Head Alpha to follow was open game for any Alpha that wanted them.

Arthur looked towards his eldest sibling, not with anger or defensiveness, but rather, with understanding and agreement. They both knew what had to be done in order for the younger to be happy and the elder to stay in power. They both knew since the moment Alfred F. Jones walked through the front door of their house, that the ending would be one of despair in one way or another. Allistor looked tired, and it was obvious that the Alpha was done with the fighting and the bullshit that Arthur always brought him. But, in his eyes was the small, all most non-existent, twinge of what one could only describe as _pleading_. He was internally begging his brother to shun the outside Alpha in favour of the family that had always been there for him, but he knew that the younger would never do so. And thus, with one final pat on the shoulder and a hushed “good luck”, Allistor announced to the family present that Arthur was no longer a member of the Kirkland family, and soon after, the red haired Alpha left the house without another word.

The drive lasted hours to Arthur, even though the house he and Alfred were going to be staying at was just outside of town. The snow had stopped falling, leaving a shining blanket of white all over the ground. A lot was going through his mind as to Alfred wanting to becoming his mate, the fight between said Alpha and Allistor, his choice, packing anything and everything he could fit in a few suitcases and bags, and leaving his home and family for possibly the last time; all within a few hours. Alfred had pulled over to a gas station where he filled up his car’s gas tank with the foul, black fluid and caused Arthur to wrinkle his nose in disgust. One of the many downfalls to being near one’s Heat Cycle: your nose become like that of a hound dog on the hunt. Alfred got out of the car with little struggle, but he limped over to the pump using his one good arm for balance against his car. Arthur stayed in the car, but he could hear Alfred speaking to someone on his phone.

“Arthur and I going to use the old house,”

_Pause._

“Well I proposed mate-ship…” Alfred trailed off. “No! We didn’t do anything like that!”

_Another pause._

“…Yes…”

_A long pause followed by Alfred mumbling something into the phone._

“He- Arthur was _disowned_ ,”

It’s amazing how one word can cause such a sting and leave such a hot, burning feeling in a person. Arthur flinched like an abused dog at even the mention of what had just recently transpired, knowing that it had to someone of the Jones family that Alfred was speaking to. It would be the only reason (that Arthur could think of) for Alfred to mention what had happened within the past few hours. It still hadn’t quite sunk in, the fact that Arthur was without his family, but had gained an Alpha mate in the process. Who would have ever thought?

“Yeah,” Alfred held the phone with one hand as he put back the gas hose and screwed the gas lid back on before closing the cover. “Look, I just need that house stocked with food and the electricity turned back on and whatever else by tomorrow morning, alright?” Alfred’s voice became demanding and harsh.

There was a quick good bye, being was all but drowned out by the noise of the gasoline in the rubber pipe slowing down as it caped off. Alfred soon returned next to Arthur, a grunt of pain as he bent his body at the hip and sat down. He turned his head to look at Arthur with eyes that made Arthur pray that the boy would just turn around and stop staring at him. They were filled with pity and regret, and yet, there was a small twinge of excitement and even- No. Arthur liked Alfred, and was sure that the feeling was mutual about how they liked each other company. Arthur’s hormones were making him think strange things, and he was pretty certain that the only real reason that he and Alfred were in a car, bruised and beaten, and going to one of the Jones family’s many secondary houses, was because the boys shared the feeling of loneliness. Arthur was tired of being alone, of being without friends, a mate, children… He was tired of going through life alone. His whole life felt like he was living in a bubble where only his family cared to even acknowledge his existence, whether they did it in a negative or positive light. Everyone else either knew him as the “freak Omega” or didn’t notice him at all, and Arthur was so tired of not being noticed. All he truly wanted was to be loved, to be cherished, to be useful, and yet, he could never swallow his selfish pride in order to let someone do that.

Even through his self loathing, Arthur couldn’t help but wonder if Alfred ever felt the same way. If maybe the boy also had his deamons, and if maybe they could fight them together. However, he assured himself that the senior Quarterback and heir to Head Alpha of the Jones family probably had less than half of his own self esteem issues. Arthur felt his body shudder and the car started up, Alfred having looked away some moments before and now was focusing on the pavement in front of them that made an old, in-need-of-repairs road. The car was cold, even with the heater going, for Arthur. His Heat Cycle was about to start any day, and this caused his hormones and the homeostasis in his body to freak out at every little detail that bothered him. It was quiet in the car, Arthur thinking about his family that the people he had just left to never see again-

“You know,” Alfred began, “It’s okay to cry,”

Arthur’s head lifted some as he looked out the window away from the other blonde. “No, it’s never okay to cry,”

Just as the words left his mouth, Arthur felt the first tear roll down his face like a trickling stream. He didn’t want to cry, and he blamed it all on hormones of course, but he let the droplets of body fluids come out of his eyes and roll all its way down his face before holding on for a little bit before dropping to their final destination on his pants leg. And like that struggling tear hanging on to his chin, his mask finally shattered, and the deep sobbing of a heartbroken Omega filled the small space of the car.

Arthur still felt so alone, even with Alfred right there. He had just lost his _family_ , the one group of people that he had always depended on and loved, but now, he was no longer welcomed into what was once the house of the Kirkland family with their Alpha son, two Beta sons, Omega daughter, and AB Omega son. Arthur couldn’t help it, as he just let the tears freely fall, making his pants become something uncomfortably wet.

Arthur kept crying, but the loneliness soon left as he felt a warm hand rest on his thigh. Alfred was trying to comfort that torn up Omega, but he knew that he would be lying if he told Arthur things only got better from that point on. 


	21. Of Bonding and Mates

The sky and house was dark when they arrived, none of the lights working save for the gas lantern that Alfred had found in the coat closet by the front door. Two blondes walked through the cold, two story house that was placed in the middle of ten acres of land, larger than Arthur’s previous home, but smaller than Alfred’s current one. The very idea of living in such a large house made Arthur’s head spin a bit, which wasn’t good for him in his current ‘condition’ as Alfred quickly grabbed the bag of groceries that he was holding from their stop at the super market for their dinner. The Alpha held the bag in one hand and with the other, guided Arthur through the dark to the kitchen where he sat him down in a cold, hard chair and went to put the plastic bag on the kitchen counter. The taller of the two then started to open and unwrap the various foods that he had bought for him and his new mate by the greenish glow of the lantern next to him.

“I’ll set up dinner first and then start up the fire place, that way we can see what we’re eating and won’t be freezing, alright?” Alfred grinned towards the Omega.

Arthur nodded in agreement, not wanting to be in the cold any longer than necessary as he tried to suppress the shivers that ran through his body. Usually around this time of year, Arthur would be setting up his nest in his warm, safe, typical bedroom, knowing that he would silently endure the torture for a week, and then be greeted back into society by his cheerful, yet nag of a mother. But now, with his Heat starting anytime in the next couple of days, Arthur was scared, unsure, and lost.

Yes, he now had a mate (an un-mated one at that) and a house to stay in, but his heart raced with fear and excitement at the same time, tearing him apart on the inside. And what was even worse was how Alfred was trying to hide his obviously hurt body, trying to hide what he believed to be his “weakness”. Arthur looked around the dark house, making out what he assumed to be a couple of couches and a table in what he could only conclude was the living room. The table that he was sitting at was long and wide, the end opposite to him being next to the back, sliding glass door which had a foot or so of snow piled up against it which glowed brightly against the light of the lantern. Arthur tried to look around some more, but the lack on light prevented him from doing so and he decided on trying to relax, though being in freezing temperatures made it difficult to do so. Just as Arthur managed to gather his limbs close enough together to keep his body heat within his jacket, a loud clatter and grunt of pain made him jump.

“Wh-what was that?” Arthur asked as he looked around for something broken.

Alfred smiled as he pulled a knife out of a drawer next to him, “It was just the drawer. It was stuck and I had to force it open. Sorry if I scared you,”

“You didn’t scare me,” Arthur huffed as he brought his knees to his chest and rested his feet on the lip of the chair. He was more concerned that Alfred had hurt himself.

Alfred gave a light smile before cutting the sandwiches he bought ad tossing the knife into the sink. “Alright, I’m going to go get some firewood from the shed outside, I’ll be right back, ok?”

Arthur nodded as he watched Alfred zip up his thick overcoat and open the sliding glass door, letting in a gust of freezing air, before disappearing into the darkness. The room became eirly silent, and Arthur closed his eyes to try and imagine himself somewhere, anywhere, other than that cold, lonesome house. But the darkness in his mind was far more fearsome then the darkness and small light of the lantern in the house, so the Omega opened his eyes to the unknown surroundings. He watched the door for what felt like an hour until Alfred finally returned with two arms full of cut wood, knocking at the door with his foot as if asking Arthur to come open the door.

Once Alfred was safely back in the house, he started a small fire in the fireplace in the room that Arthur thought was the living room, being correct in his guessing. Arthur grabbed the paper plates with the sandwiches and chips on them and the bottles of water and soda that his mate had gotten them for dinner, bring them to where Alfred was in front of the glowing fire. The Alpha seemed so intent on his job that Arthur had to smile.

Alfred’s eyes were narrowed in concentration, and his lips scrunched up as he poked the kindling around before tossing on a slightly larger piece of wood. He moved slowly, the pain in his ribs and shoulder still causing him pain with every movement he made. He went to go move the larger piece of wood further back, but as he did, an ember came and decided to grace his hand with its burning touch. This caused Alfred to cuss and pull away his hand quickly, dropping the poker on the ground as he brought his hand to his mouth to suck on the injured flesh. Arthur quickly set down the plates on the coffee table behind him before rushing to Alfred’s side and forcefully pulling the injured hand away from the Alpha.

“Let me see,” Arthur poke quickly as he tried to see the injury.

“No!” Alfred whined.

“Alfred,” Arthur warned, “Let me see,”

“It’s fine, Arthur, don’t worry about it,” Alfred pulled his hand away, shielding it from Arthur’s gaze.

“Alfred, you’re already injured as it is. Now let me see!” Arthur growled.

Arthur tried to grab the hand once again, but as he reached for it, the unharmed hand grabbed his wrist from moving any closer. Arthur looked up at Alfred, cold, hard blue eyes staring hard into his. Arthur felt the lump in his throat form larger and larger the longer he stared into those eyes, fear and panic beginning to bubble up as his instincts went on high alert. Before he could react, Alfred let go of his wrists, pulling the Omega into a tight hug, shocking him even more than before.

“Alfr-“ Arthur began.

“Shush…” Alfred whispered.

The two stood there listening to the wind howl outside and the harsh pattering of frozen water beating against the house, feeling the warmth of the fire and of each other. Arthur, whether it was because of being close proximity, his heat, or both, was able to sense Alfred’s scent. It was one of disappointment, anxious, sadness, and happiness, all swirling fast, disappearing and re-appearing in his own senses. The two stood there until Alfred finally pulled away and turned to grab the fire poker off of the stone floor in front of the fireplace and putting it away before throwing yet another, larger log on the fire and closing its tempered glass door. He then sat down in front of Arthur and led him down onto the floor as well, pulling him into his lap so that they were facing each other before cocking his head to nuzzle into the crook of Arthur’s neck.

Arthur sat frozen in place on Alfred’s lap, not knowing where to put his hands, what to say, or even what to think. He tensed even more when Alfred rested his head on his shoulder, not knowing whether to be afraid or loving. The Alpha had gone from a very angry look to cuddling by the fire place, and something about that just didn’t sit right with Arthur.

“I’m sorry,” Alfred mumbled into Arthur’s shoulder, making the Omega believe that he had misheard.

“What was that?” Arthur questioned as he pulled away from the bigger man to look at his large, innocent eyes. It amazed Arthur how those sensitive looking eyes could change from ones like a wild beast in mere minutes, like changing from a savage to a child.

Alfred gave him a soft, sad smile before repeating, “I’m sorry,” Alfred gulped the air caught in his throat, “I scared you, didn’t I? Your scent… it was sour,”

Arthur cocked his head slightly. ‘ _’Sour’?’_

“I didn’t hurt you, did I? I mean, when I grabbed your hand,” Alfred asked. He looked down at Arthur’s hand for emphasis on the matter. Arthur followed Alfred’s gaze and realized what the Alpha was talking about. Oh, how Arthur would have loved to tell Alfred how his abrasive action did hurt and make the Alpha apologize, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do so. The sincere sadness on Alfred’s face tore a hole into Arthur’s heart as the Alpha reached for his hand and gently examined it by the light of the flames in the stone heath. The frown on Alfred’s face looked sincerely apologetic, and Arthur could not bring himself to criticize the boy.

“N-no, it didn’t hurt,” Arthur rasped out, coughing to clear his voice, keeping his voice soft as he explained, “You just surprised me,”

Alfred nodded in understanding, staying silent as he touched and pet Arthur’s hand. Arthur smiled lightly before pulling his hand away gently and reached for the plates on the coffee table near them.

“Here,” Arthur passed the flimsy paper plate to the other blonde. “Let’s eat. You look hungry,” Alfred took the plate graciously, but never broke eye contact with the Omega in his lap. Instead of eating the food given to him, he set the plate aside before speaking.

“You’re right I am hungry,” Alfred reached for Arthur’s plate and took it to set it next to his own, “But I’m not hungry for anything but _you_ ,”

 _Desire is a sin that sweetens the heart and rots the brain_. Arthur had once heard that saying from someone or read it somewhere, but the origin of the words were lost to him as he felt Alfred’s lips on his own. Before he could react Alfred had pushed him down, spreading Arthur’s legs so his own could fit in between them. Alfred started to heat up the kiss as he pressed his tongue against Arthur’s lips, asking for permission to enter the uncharted territory, which Arthur quickly allowed. The Omega wrapped his arms around Alfred’s neck, pulling the Alpha closer to him so that their bodies were pressed together, Arthur absorbing Alfred’s body heat.

Oh, how Arthur loved that moment, it was perfect in every way that he could imagine. Between the passionate kissing, the warm fire warding off the cold of the winter near them, Arthur was in his very own romance novel. And had they continued, then that night would have full filled every fantasy he had during his last heat and every dream since that horrid, denying week four months prior. Yes, everything was perfect- until a loud buzzing sound was heard coming from the kitchen.

Both boys looked towards the kitchen to the source of the vibration noise coming from Alfred’s cell phone on the counter. Alfred growled in annoyance as he quickly kissed Arthur once more before going to get his moment-ruining- phone.

“This better be important,” Alfred snarled into the phone.

_“Oh believe me, it is damn well important, Alfred Fredrick Jones,”_

Alfred’s mouth went dry, eyes widened and stomach lurched. He turned his sight over towards the Omega who now was sitting upright and watching his movements with confusion. Alfred wanted to hang up, he really did, but there she would just call again and again, and if he still didn’t pick up, she would be at the front door of the house in ten minutes flat. So, after weighing his options, Alfred opened his mouth, keeping eye contact with Arthur who was now walking towards him.

“… Grandmother,” Alfred rasped.

“ _That’s ‘Head Alpha’ for this sort of situation, you irresponsible, hot headed boy!”_ Hehewuti yelled through the speaker of the phone, loud enough to where even Arthur could hear her.

“Y-yes, Head Alpha,” Alfred corrected himself.

“ _Now, could you explain to me how wrong it is for me to find out that my grandson, my **heir** , got into a Dominance Fight for an Omega who is only a few days from heat? And how that Omega ended up **disowned** for said grandson’s recklessness? Or better yet, why the hell he didn’t ask for **my damn permission**?! Alfred, what the fuck were you thinking?” _

Alfred flinched at his grandmother’s cussing, not being used to hearing that sort of language coming from her. He opened his eyes to see Arthur’s head down and his scent reeking of fear and self-loathing, and Alfred hated it. But, he couldn’t do anything to make it better, it was something on both of them that they couldn’t hide or deny; something that they chose to do together.

“I…” Alfred didn’t know what to say to the older Alpha. She was correct, as she usually was, and he knew it.

Silence followed. Arthur, Alfred, nor Hehewuti spoke, letting the tension in the air intensify, turning bitter and raw.

After a few moments, the oldest of the three finally broke the silence, “ _Alfred, is Arthur nearby?”_

“Uh, yes,” Alfred looked towards the Omega in question.

“ _Please give him the phone, I’d like to speak to him for a minute,”_ Alfred nodded, even though the woman wasn’t in the room, and handed the phone over to the other boy, shrugging at Arthur’s confused look.

Arthur’s hand shook as he looked down at the phone. Yes, Principal Jones was wonderful, cheerful woman, but Arthur knew from Matthew’s stories just how terrifying she could be. With eyes wide and alert and a shaky voice, Arthur spoke, “He-hello?”

“ _Arthur?”_

“Y-yes,”

_“You do realize exactly what you have just done by choosing the actions you took today, correct?”_

_Gulp._ “Yes, ma’am,”

“ _And that you are now technically under my jurisdiction since you are, or will be, a mate to one of my family members?”_

“Ma’am?”

_“Arthur, I am very happy to add another member to our family. However, there are a few things that you, Alfred, and I must discuss, and some things that you and Alfred need to talk about together. Namely, you need to understand that you are Alfred’s Omega and he your Alpha,”_

Arthur raised one large eyebrow to this statement. “I-I am sorry, but I don’t quite follow what you are saying,”

_“Let me put it to you like this: You need to learn to sit on the sidelines,”_

‘ _Sidelines?’_ Arthur mentally questioned. “Mrs. Jones, I don’t understand what-“

“ _Your mother called me a few minutes ago to tell me what happened. Especially the fact that **you** were the one that ended the fight; a **Dominance Fight** ,”_

Arthur stayed quiet. He knew that what he did was not acceptable, and that he would hear about it later, but he wasn’t prepared to get reprimanded so soon. Oh, blast his mother to the moon and back.

“ _Now, I’m not mad at you Arthur,_ ” Hehewuti continued, “ _I’m just concerned for the future. It will be a black mark on the Jones name if the Head Alpha’s mate is ‘overbearing’ over the Alpha. So please understand that it is not that I am upset with you, but rather, concerned for the future prosperity of my family,”_

Arthur let the female Alpha’s words sink in as he looked down at the floor. He knew that what the woman spoke was true, but he just couldn’t bring himself to apologize for it. He wanted Alfred, Alfred wanted him, but Scot didn’t want them to be together, so, Arthur made it so his brother would disown him from the family. It was all planned, all calculated, and Arthur regretted nothing about it.

“ _Arthur, I know why you stepped in to stop that fight, and I am grateful for you keeping my hopeless grandson alive. But please, you must understand that you have done more damage to Alfred than your brother ever could have,”_ Hehewuti warned. “ _Now, I’d like to speak to Alfred again, if you don’t mind passing the phone over to him?”_

Arthur did as she asked, but didn’t listen to her and Alfred’s conversation. The Omega moved away from the kitchen, towards the warmth of the fireplace where the once raging fire that he and Alfred kissed by was nothing more than glowing coals.

‘ _It needs more wood,’_

Later that night, after the boys had eaten and cuddled a bit by the fire, Arthur and Alfred were upstairs in what Arthur assumed was a very large bedroom or the master bedroom of the house. He couldn’t see much, as the darkness covered most of it, but he did know that it was cold and all he wanted was to get under the bed sheets and comforter that he and Alfred had just put on the bed and cuddle up to his mate. And soon after, both blondes were in the bed, holding each other for body heat.

“Arthur,” Alfred broke the comfortable silence that surrounded them.

Arthur hummed in response, keeping his eyes closed as he nuzzled into Alfred’s neck. Oh, how he wanted Alfred kiss him, touch him, caressed him, fondle him… but they couldn’t. Alfred and he had agreed, while eating dinner, that since they were bonded the “old fashioned” way, then they would become mates the same way by waiting for Arthur’s heat to begin. This reminded Arthur that he would need to construct a new nest while Alfred would be gone the next day.

“I think we need to lay out some ground rules before we go any further than where we are at in this relationship,” The Alpha spoke seriously, lifting Arthur’s chin up so that he could see those green eyes through the slightly fuzzy vision of his glasses-less, near sighted eyes.

Arthur stared into those serious, blue eyes. Arthur felt the weight of the moment rush over him, as he nodded slowly, his senses on high alert. He nodded once for the Alpha to continue.

“I know that the Head had told you about needing to be… more Omega-like,” Alfred said warily, as to not upset the other. “And I think that we need to come to an understanding about what we need to do for each other as mates,”

Arthur smiled slightly at the familiar term “mates”. It gave him a warm feeling all over his body, making his heart race and his cheeks flush pink. Alfred smiled back at him, leaning in to kiss the AB Omega’s head before continuing.

“So, that being said, is there anything you want me to do as your Alpha?”

Arthur was taken a back at this inquiry as he had never given the thought of having someone doing something for him as “his Alpha”. He lowered his head in thought, finding it difficult to think of anything to request of his mate.  When he finally had an idea come to him, he blushed bright red at the ridiculousness of the request, but Alfred did say “anything”.

“I-,” Arthur lifted his head, “I want you to kiss me every morning and every night,” Arthur looked at Alfred nervously, embarrassment creeping up on him.

However, all Alfred did was smile and kiss Arthur. As he pulled away, he himself was blushing. “I promise that I will kiss you every morning, night, evening, and so much more,”

Arthur smiled back, “And what do you wish of me as your Omega?”

Alfred thought for a bit, responding as his eyes lit up with an idea. “I want you to avoid fights at all cost. If someone is bothering you, then you need to come and get me,” He leaned forward and nuzzled Arthur, taking in his scent, “I don’t want my Omega getting hurt,”

Arthur swallowed the air in his throat. He knew what Alfred needed to hear, but it wasn’t what Arthur wanted to say. “I-I promise that I will _try_ to stay out of fights,” Arthur smiled, “As long as you promise to be there to protect me,”

Alfred’s smile dropped, and a serious look in his eyes appeared. “I will always protect you. No matter what, I will protect you. Just, please believe me that I will,” Alfred’s eyes shone with hurt.

Arthur froze at this foreign emotion. He felt his heart tear at the sight, being even worse than the look of apologetic sadness the Alpha had a few hours prior after he had grabbed Arthur’s wrist with too much power. It made Arthur feel guilty, wrong, and even regretful. It was this look at enabled Arthur to understand what Hehewuti Jones had meant on the phone: Arthur had bruised Alfred’s ego. Sure, if an Alpha loses to an Alpha, then it is just a matter of one Alpha being physically weaker than the other. But for an Omega to save an Alpha, well, that means that the “saved” Alpha is weak in every way. Arthur felt the shame rush over him as he thought of how embarrassed Alfred had to have been when Arthur intervened in the fight in order to stop Allistor from hurting Alfred any further; how foolish Arthur had been. Then the Omega felt a hand on his cheek, followed by the concerning look of his Alpha staring down at him in confusion.

“Arthur, don’t cry,” Alfred soothed.

The British Omega had not even realized that he had been crying until Alfred wiped away his tears. He cursed his Heat driven hormone imbalance for making him so emotional.

“I’m sorry, Alfred. I really am,” Arthur cried as he pressed his body closer to his mate. “I just didn’t want to see you hurt anymore,” Arthur tried to explain through the sobbing.

“I know,” Alfred whispered as he ran a hand through Arthur’s hair, letting the boy weep against his chest. Alfred knew why Arthur had done what he had, but the weight of losing because your mate begged for you instead of winning because your mate cheered for you was something that would haunt any Alpha’s conscious. “Arthur,” Alfred called gently, raising his mates head away from his chest.

Arthur’s cheeks were red and his lips trembled, making him feel like an absolute mess of a human being. But he looked at Alfred none the less, hoping that the Alpha would look past his shambled appearance and not pity him for the sake of feeling sorry. And Alfred did just that.

“I love you, Arthur Kirkland. That is why, after your Heat you’ll be Arthur Jones, and as your mate, and future Head Alpha, I will protect and love you till the end of time,” Alfred kissed Arthur’s forehead, in between his ridiculously huge eyebrows and smiled at his little mate. Arthur gave a weak smile and nuzzled into Alfred’s chest once more, seeking the warmth of his love and body.

It was after this exchange of affection and a few more simple promises of Arthur never cooking and Alfred watching fewer horror movies, that the pair of mates fell asleep. They held each other till the following morning when a noise from the kitchen awoke them both.


	22. Of Bonding and Mates (part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW warning! Sexual content ahead!

The sun that morning was exceptionally bright, as the white snow reflected the light, but it was also exceptionally cold due to the previous night’s weather conditions: howling winds and a mass flurry of snow. The bedroom air was too cold for comfort, but under the sheets of the large king sized bed, a sleeping couple kept each other warm with their shared body heat and layers of blankets and comforters. This Alpha-Omega pair slept soundly, arms wrapped around one another and legs tangled together, in nothing more than a pair of boxers for each and Arthur with a large T-shirt that Alfred had pulled from a drawer in another room.

_Bang!_

“ _Shit_!”

 

Arthur nearly jumped out of his skin when the loud clatter boomed in his ears. His senses shocked his body as his eyes popped open and scanned the room, looking around and trying to see over Alfred’s large build towards the slightly opened door of the bedroom. He looked towards the snoring Alpha holding him, drool coming out of his opened mouth with a ridiculously dorky, cute and ever irritating smile siting upon those lips. Arthur went to move out of the bed to investigate, but his hips started to burn, warning him that his Heat was coming soon. He moaned in pain, effectively waking Alfred from his peaceful, snoring slumber.

“Artie? You alright?” Alfred half yawned.

Arthur hissed to tell the Alpha to stay quiet, “Shush! There’s someone downstairs,”

“What?” Alfred, finally awake threw the sheets off of his half naked body. “Stay here,” Alfred commanded as he headed for the door. Arthur tried to get up and follow Alfred despite the Alpha’s words, but the pain in his hips was beginning to spread over his body, forcing him lay back down and unwillingly obey the order with a huff.

Alfred, meanwhile, was slowly walking down the stairs, trying not to make much noise in order to surprise whatever, or whoever, was in the kitchen. As he reached the bottom of the stairwell, he rested his back up against the wall that blocked his vision from the kitchen, but it also blocked the vision of those in the kitchen as well. He took a in the scent of the room, and something about seemed familiar to him. However, he had a near-Heat-cycle Omega upstairs, and every instinct told him to defend his home and mate instead of trying to recall a measly smell. So, taking in a deep breath, Alfred prepared himself to attack.

And attack he did.

Attack a certain brunette Beta with arms full of plates and bowls.

By the time Arthur had decided to just deal with the constant nagging of his nether regions, he was barely out of the bedroom when the multiple sounds of shattering glass or porcelain, yelling, and a long string of ‘fucks’ and ‘shits’ reached his ears. Now, within Arthur’s body, a miniature war began as he froze in place at the sound.  Part of him, the more sensible, Omega side, wanted to run back into the bedroom, lock the door, and hide. But another other part, the adventurous AB blood side, wanted to see what was happening. He stood there in the hallway for a few moments before building up his courage to finally go down the stairs. And once there, he found a hilarious sight before turning around and bolting back up to the bedroom.

What the Omega had seen was Alfred on a chair, in nothing but his boxers, trying to walk across the kitchen table. Arthur would have gone and laughed at the Alpha, but just as he took one step around the corner of the stairwell, he felt himself become self-conscience. There was Feliks, the blonde Beta that looked like a girl from his music class, and a young man with autumn brown hair that had to be a Beta due to his lack of scent.

In Alfred’s house.

In _his_ house!

And between the single oversized shirt he had to cover his form and the encroaching scent of his heat, the once losing side of Arthur’s brain, the Omega side, finally won the war and the AB Omega bolted up back up to the safety of the master bedroom.

“Dude, Torris, I am so sorry about all of this,” Alfred apologized as he finally made his way across the kitchen table to the door that led from the kitchen to the cellar. He quickly opened the door, grabbed a couple of brooms and dust pan, and slammed it shut. _‘Hate that place_ ,’ Alfred shuddered as he turned his attention back to the two Betas and all the pieces of shattered china wear on the ground.

“It’s fine Alfred, I should have called you,” Torris tried to smile at Alfred’s nearly naked form as the Alpha tossed him one of the brooms. The Alpha was way too comfortable in his own skin for the quiet Beta’s liking. “But, I don’t think your mother will appreciate the fact that half of her favorite china set is broken,” The brunette Beta lightly chuckled as he began to sweep.

Alfred tried to hand Feliks the other broom, but the Beta declined. “I just came here to help Tori, not to clean up your messes,” The blonde haughtily explained. “Besides,” he continued, with tears forming in his eyes, “You, like, totally ruined my new skirt when you jumped out and made Tori spill your stupid coffee on me!” The Beta looked down at his school-issued girl’s uniform for emphasis (Alfred was still trying to figure out who would have given it to him).

Toris stopped his sweeping to look over at his companion’s outfit. “Maybe you could change into the spare you brought? The one out in-“

“No!” Feliks screeched. “That’s a _boy’s_ uniform! They are, like, so lame and have, like, no personality to them what so ever!”

Alfred continued to watch the Betas bicker back and forth (well, more like Toris trying to make things better and Feliks shooting all of his ideas down) until he realized that Arthur was still alone upstairs in bedroom. So with a quick “excuse me for a second” and shoving the second broom and dust pan into the coffee-stained-skirt wearing Beta’s hands, Alfred quickly ran up the stairs, skipping steps as he went. He wasn’t “worried”, per se, but, he noticed the scent of Arthur’s heat starting to become even more potent in the house, and the Alpha prayed that the Omega hadn’t started yet.

As Alfred reached the bedroom, he quietly and slowly opened the door as to not startle the Omega. He glanced towards the bed and noticed that the comforter and most of the pillows were missing, and that Arthur wasn’t anywhere near the bed. He looked at the opposite side of the room and found his soon-to-be-mate fast at work of fluffing pillows and tucking in the comforter in between the mattress and circular walls of the nest located near the door to the adjoining bathroom. The Omega continued to move pillows from once spot to another, only to move them back again with a huff of agitation. Alfred watched in humorous interest as the stuffy Omega tried to move three pillows at once and, somehow, ended up messing up his whole nest. Alfred would have chuckled out loud, but the frustrated tears forming in Arthur’s eyes prevented him from doing so, turning his smile sour into a frown of regret.

Alfred was once told that for an Omega, a nest was a reflection of how they wanted to live. Some wanted simple lives with a nest of few pillows and blankets, other wanted to live busy, important lives and their nest were built with two or three mattresses, countless blankets, plush pillows, and even little shimmering trinkets. But, for Arthur, Alfred couldn’t tell what the Omega wanted; because the Omega himself didn’t even know. He would toss pillows to the side, and then gather them up again. He would grab stuffed animals from his suitcase before deciding that it was a bad idea to “expose” them to such impure actions. And now, Arthur sat in a nest of unorganized pillows, blankets, and tears as he sat in self-pity and stared at his so called “nest”. Alfred decided that maybe his little mate needed some direction.

“Hey,” Alfred began as he opened the door fully and announced his presence, “What are you doing?”

Arthur turned to him and glared through glassy, fragile eyes that threatened to break like a dam at any moment. “I’m _trying_ to build a nest obviously.”

“’Trying?’” Alfred acted as if he had not just witnessed the last ten minute of the Omega fiddling around with the pillows and blankets.

Arthur nodded solemnly. Oh, how he hated to be looked down upon for his incompetence; he was too proud of his skills to even think that someone “looking down” at him was even possible. But there he was: an incompetent Omega with a ruined nest, who was on the verge of tears, and his soon-to-be mate was probably trying to figure out what exactly he was thinking when he choose him. And that brought up a whole other problem in Arthur’s mind: What would happen once his Heat pheromones wore off? Would Alfred stay? Would his family even accept them? His grandmother seemed to want to, but she had _conditions_ that he had to meet in order to be fully welcomed into the rich, traditional, and old family. And those conditions scared him. He didn’t want to roll over on his back in submission to people, he was better than that! But she did have a point… Alfred was to be Head one day, and he would need Arthur to stand by him and support him, not fight him. But what if he didn’t want to agree with Alfred’s choice? Arthur’s head hurt with so many “if”s and “but”s, and he felt even closer to the edge of crying. So he did.

Alfred didn’t know what had just happened. One moment he was talking to his Omega, and the next, said Omega was in tears, scaring the Alpha that he might have pushed a button he shouldn’t have. He froze for a second, his mind trying to think of what to do next, before lunging forward and nearly falling on top of Arthur. The Omega was quickly picked up and moved to the edge of the nest, with Alfred kissing away the tears that fell from the other’s eyes. After making sure that the fountain of tears had slowed down to a trickle, Alfred pulled away and looked down at the nest that he was currently kneeling in. He gave Arthur a quick, comforting smile before starting to tuck the comforter and blankets back under the thick mattress of that nest. He then went to grab a pillow sitting next to Arthur, who had since calmed down, but before he could get close to it, Arthur picked it up and handed it to him, but he did not let go of the pillow. Alfred looked at his Omega, trying to understand what he was thinking, but Arthur kept his eyes hooded. Eventually, Arthur let go of the pillow, allowing Alfred to set it where he thought it would go best. As soon as Alfred placed the pillow to the right of the circular nest, he felt the mattress beneath him move as Arthur joined him in fixing up the nest.

The two worked in silence, and once there were four blankets and several pillows arranged along the short walls of the lowered space, they both stopped in satisfaction at their work. The two sat in the nest, allowing the quiet to surround them in peace as they each thought about their past and future. Alfred thought of each time he fought with the Omega who now rested his head on his shoulder. He then thought how he now would have a mate, and how one day he would have children to add to his extended family that he would guide as the Head Alpha. Arthur, meanwhile, thought back to all the lonely nights he spent in empty pleasure, but also thought of how the nest that he sat in now was not only his, but their nest where they would spend his heats and where they would hopefully create a family. Children had always been on the top of Arthur’s list as to what he wanted someday. He feared that he would become one of those crotchety, old Omegas with no children or mate to call their own. He was afraid that he would never be able to wake up in a nest with his mate next to him or his children between them. Oh, he feared so many things when it came to his ever unsure future. But there he sat, next to his Alpha in their nest that they built together. Arthur smiled slightly at the thought that this was _their_ nest, but he hid it from Alfred.

The two sat there for a while, unmoving, until Alfred glanced at the clock and noticed that class was going to start in an hour. He figured, due to being on the outskirts of town, that he should get ready so that he would not be late. He looked down at Arthur and smiled. The AB Omega had fallen asleep and his once tear filled eyes looked so peaceful that Alfred couldn’t help but stay still in fear that he might ruin the moment. Alfred was glad that Yao had made Arthur take the day off, as his mood was changing constantly due to him being so close to his Heat. He went to move a piece of Arthur’s hair out of his face, but a gentle knock at the door stopped him. He turned to see Torris standing there, with a slightly embarrassed blush on his cheeks.

“Um… we’re going to head to school…” The Beta kept shifting his gaze at to not look at Alfred, who was still only in his boxers, and the sleeping blonde at his side. The Alpha nodded and watched as his friend leave, waiting for the sound of the front door opening and closing before attempting to move out of his position. He slowly pushed Arthur away so that he could move the Omega down into the freshly built nest, putting pillows under and around him. Finally content with his Omega’s situation, Alfred fully rose to put on his uniform, and then went to prepare breakfast.

Once he was ready, Alfred set aside Arthur’s breakfast on a plate and quickly made a sandwich for him for lunch (knowing all too well that he needed to keep the shorter blonde as far away from the stove as possible). He made a quick stop upstairs to check on said Omega and found him lazily rising up from his bed of pillows. Alfred walked in as slowly as a person already ten minutes late for school could do and told his little mate about the food on the counter and fridge. After a quick, yet loving kiss, Alfred bid the tired Omega good bye as he headed off to class, and the questions that were sure to follow since Feliks had already arrived there with Torris.

When Alfred arrived home, he was ready to throw a chair through the window. As soon as he had gotten to the school, he was given detention for being late, but having a grandmother as the principal as one’s school always has its up sides. However, speaking of Hehewuti, the woman was anything but kind when she finally was able to catch her grandson. Between the yelling, growling, and swearing, Alfred didn’t know if the woman was proud of him for getting a mate or trying to disown him as well. Once she had thrown all of her papers off her desk and Alfred wanting to actually flee from the room, she allowed herself to flop down back into her chair with a huff of agitation. Alfred and his grandmother decided that after Arthur’s Heat (and his and Alfred’s mating), that the Omega would be moved to the main house and be formally introduced to the rest of the family and that planning for their bonding ceremony would begin. The dominance fight was to be kept as secretive as possible, and that the fact that Arthur was the one to end it even more secretive.

Finally, the end of his school day then became three classes of classmates and friends hounding him about the rumors of him eloping with a mysterious Omega, the Omega being none other than Arthur Kirkland, and even that Arthur was already pregnant. Okay, the first two he could ignore (as they were true), but the last one actually made him spit water. _All over the head cheerleader._ This, in turn, ended Alfred in a fight between him and the running back of the football team who was said cheerleader’s mate, and then had his grandmother save his ass once again. So by the end of the day, Alfred had nearly been late home due to detention, was lectured by his Head Alpha, and had his still healing body beat even worse (even though the other boy ended up in the nurse’s office for a concussion). Now all he wanted to do was sleep, but he knew he had to check on Arthur and make sure his little Omega wasn’t too lonely without him being home all day (which brought a small chuckle from the back of Alfred’s throat).

Alfred tossed his bag onto the couch and moved to the kitchen, looking in the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. However, Alfred also noticed that the sandwich that he had made that morning for Arthur remained untouched.

‘ _That’s not a good sign.’_ Alfred frowned in worry. The Alpha quickly made his way up the stairs towards the master bedroom.

“Arthur? Artie? Are you alright?” Alfred called as approached the room where his mate was supposed to be. However, before he could reach the door, a loud groan stopped him for a split second. When the Alpha realized that the groan was in fact from Arthur, he all but pulled the door off of its hinges.

Throwing the door open, Alfred was hit in the face with the wonderful scent of an Omega in Heat.

_His Omega in Heat._

Alfred looked towards the nesting area, only to find Arthur on his hands and knees and moaning as he pushed his hips into the air. Alfred froze is shock and slight confusion at Arthur’s actions, but it wore off and the taller blonde quickly advanced towards the nest. He let out a low growl of possessiveness as he watched Arthur freeze in realization of his presence.

Arthur didn’t know when exactly he rose to his knees, but the scent that caused him to do so was driving him wild. He looked up to the Alpha, face flushed and panting, eyes trying to focus in on Alfred’s face and his mouth seemed to have lost all ability save for panting. Alfred looked down at Arthur, knowing full well what the Omega wanted from him, and he was slightly ashamed to admit that he wanted it too, as animalistic as it was. However, the smell was so strong, and it was nothing like his brother’s or his mother’s when they went into heat; this smell was sweet and salty and smelt delicious, even stronger than the day that he smelt it all those months ago. It was like being in a bakery, where you could smell what they were making and the ‘samples’ were right in front of you.

Alfred soon felt his pants become miraculously loose even with his newly forming hard-on. He looked down for the source of the strange feeling and blushed as Arthur had already unzipped his pants and was starting to pull down his boxers.

“Arthur what-“ Alfred couldn’t finish his sentence, let alone his thoughts, as Arthur grabbed hold of his hardened cock. But it wasn’t the feeling of someone grabbing him that made his mind go blank like it had at the night of the concert that Arthur had begun giving him head (but didn’t exactly finish). No, it was Arthur’s facial expression. It was so curious, scared, and needy all at once, and damn, it turned Alfred on.  He involuntarily bucked his hips as Arthur ran his finger across the slit of his head, testing his lover’s reactions. Arthur teased him a bit, dragging his fingers and nails up and down the muscle, give an awkward sort of hand job that Alfred came to want more of.

 Arthur’s eyes grew large as a thought struck him.  Maybe it was his instincts or just plain curiosity, but Arthur wanted to taste this wonderful smelling man in front of him. So he did just that. He stuck out his tongue a dragged it from the underside of his cock, right above his balls, to the tip where he sucked the slit like a straw. Something seemed so familiar about the taste of the sensitive flesh on his tongue. But before he could do it again, Alfred grabbed his hair and pulled back, both panting boys looking at each other, eyes glazed over in lust. “Alfred….ha- Please…..” Arthur begged. He would have never begged if it hadn’t been for his heat, and he just couldn’t help it. His body wanted 3 things, and they were all right in front of him.

 _1: To have a mate_.

“Arthur… Y-you do realize that, ha…. If we do this, there’s really no going back, r-right?” Alfred asked breathlessly. Arthur nodded in understanding and irritation; he had already thrown any thought of “going back” out of his mind the day they drove away together from his parent’s home one last time.

 _2: To be loved_.

But a thought struck the Omega hard and he froze. “Alfred… Do you love me?”

 Alfred stared at the Omega, dumbfounded. He thought that it shouldn’t have even been a question by now. They had kissed, held each other, fought for and against each other, depended on one another, and even confessed their love to each other…. But Alfred knew he had to re-assure his soon-to-be mate. Alfred smiled, gently running his fingers through Arthur’s choppy hair, eyes softening as they connected with the other’s green gaze.

“I love you, Arthur. And I always will.”

_3: To have a family._

“Alfred… “ Arthur’s voice became quiet as he grew nervous, his previous resolve faltering. His eyes shifted away, the once dark forest green now showing concern in weary emerald orbs.

“Don’t worry Arthur, it’ll be ok. I promise,” He smiled and knelt down to bring them to equal heights. “I promise to be the best mate,” A kiss on the forehead, “Friend,” a kiss on both cheeks, “And father,” a kiss on the lips. “I promise.”

Arthur smiled before repeating the sequence. “I promise to be the best mate,” Kiss on the cheek. “Friend,” Kiss over his heart. “And mother…” kiss on his lips. Alfred smiled and deepened their kiss, finally breaking apart when Arthur gently bit his lip. And with that, Arthur went down to take as much of Alfred as he could into his mouth. Alfred moaned loudly as the sudden heat enfolded around him.

‘ _God, Arthur!_ ’ He couldn’t stop himself from bucking up into the Omega’s mouth, gagging him slightly. Arthur, finally finding his pace, started to bob his head up and down, sucking and trying not to bite the other as he did so. Alfred, feeling himself getting closer to the edge, grabbed Arthur’s hair once again and pulled him away from his dick.

“Ar-Arthur…. I don’t want to cum in your mouth… ha… I might end up knotting…” Alfred panted out. Arthur looked up, eyes huge at the thought of Alfred doing so. He nodded in agreement, sat back up, and wiped the trail of saliva off the corner of his mouth.

“Arthur,” Alfred was having a difficult time concentrating with the pheromones attacking his senses.  
“Arthur, I want to touch you,” Alfred demanded rather than asked. Arthur moved towards the Alpha, only to turn around on his knees and put his face into one of the many plush pillows around them, keeping his Slick covered ass up in the air and legs spread. Alfred panted; the sight of Arthur’s inviting hole and the way his hands gently rubbed and massaged Arthur’s ass-cheeks, squeezing and kneading them nearly drove him over the edge.  

“Arthur…” Alfred pulled off his clothes and threw them across the room, leaving them both naked and open to each other. “Arthur…. I need you,” Alfred groaned into the other’s ear as he got behind him, hands and knees keeping him right above the horny Omega, rutting his aching cock against Arthur’s ass.

Arthur moaned in response to the physical attention, which caused his entrance to produce even more Slick than before. He was scared, yes, but the idea of being dominated was so damn enticing and exciting to him in his Heat-induced state of mind. He spread his legs even further to allow Alfred better access to his entrance, trying to coax him into entering. The Alpha was about to take the bait, but much to Arthur’s annoyance, he wanted to make sure Arthur would be able to take his length without being hurt. But, even for an Alpha, Alfred knew he was large.

He reached a hand in between their bodies and pushed a finger into Arthur, causing the smaller male to whimper. Yes, Arthur’s gasp and small moan told him that it felt good to have the friction of the finger moving in and out, but it only caused the Omega’s cock to become even harder and his hole to secrete more Slick.  As Alfred felt the Slick beginning to seep out of Arthur’s entrance, he came to the conclusion that Arthur could take a little pain in his ass, as Alfred himself couldn’t take the pain in his own throbbing cock any longer.

So, without any warning other than a quick kiss to the shoulder, Alfred quickly removed his hand and started to slowly push his hardened dick into Arthur. Up to the hilt he pushed, filling the Omega’s hole and causing the Slick to pour out around Alfred’s base.  Arthur threw back his head and his mouth fell open to release a scream, but his mind was too far gone to process an actual sound. Alfred stilled, focusing on not cumming from the sudden heat and pressure as Arthur, his mate, tried to grow accustomed to the girth of Alfred’s cock. After what felt like hours, Arthur slowly pulled his hips forward, away from Alfred’s member, only to push back and take him in once again.

Alfred let out a groan of pleasure as Arthur began pushing back towards him. He grabbed hold of Arthur’s hips as he pulled out and plunged right back in, moaning in pleasure as he returned to that grasping heat that was Arthur’s entrance. Alfred felt like he was melting into Arthur as the Omega clenched around his shaft. Oh, how he wished that he had discovered his little Omega so much sooner, but every thought was lost in the heat of the moment.

Arthur, meanwhile, couldn’t think straight, much less even talk. The feeling of having a real, pulsing Alpha cock in him was a mix of pain and utter pleasure. He felt tears running down his face, he couldn’t tell if they were due to pain or happiness, but either way he did nothing more than moan. The Alpha soon picked up pace, and somewhere through the screams, moans, and kisses, Alfred had flipped Arthur over so that they were facing each other. Arthur, whether it was do Heat hormones or not, started to asked Alfred to go faster and harder with each thrust, and the Alpha happily obliged.

Alfred thanked god that they were the only ones in the house with the way Arthur kept screaming. Honestly, the Alpha would have never taken his little Omega for being a screamer, but he didn’t mind (in fact, he quite enjoyed it when he would shriek out his name with each strike of his most sensitive spots). Alfred grabbed Arthur’s legs and lifted them so that they were wrapped around his waist, giving him a better position to slam into the Omega. He placed one hand on the ground to keep his balance and kept the other on his Omega’s hip to guide the smaller boy’s body in a rhythmic motion.

Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred’s neck, bringing them even closer. Allowing the Alpha to kiss and bite his lips and neck, the Omega kept his Alpha close as he laid claim to his body as a whole. The room was becoming hotter than it was before, Arthur noticed through the hazy thoughts. Either that or the smaller blonde was truly starting to break a sweat as he felt his body begin to tense and the pit of his stomach begin to tighten. Alfred continued to mercilessly pound away at Arthur, commanding the Omega to scream his name and roll his hips.

Alfred knew, through Arthur’s heavy panting and the way his little Omega let him go less and less, that their end was coming. He was surprised that they had even lasted that long, but he knew that the moment of their bonding was soon. Alfred knew that it was happening all so fast, but he needed a mate, he needed a confidant, and most importantly, he needed Arthur. He wanted the Omega more than ever; to be with him not only physically but emotionally as well. With a deep kiss, Alfred grabbed Arthur’s previously ignored dick, and a subtle whisper of “cum with me”, both blondes let out feral noises of pleasure and possession. Arthur dug his nails into Alfred’s back and the Alpha bit into the Omega’s shoulder, both leaving their marks of ownership over the other’s body and heart. Alfred felt his cock swell at the base to mark his knotting as he marked Arthur’s insides with his semen that would, hopefully, lead to Arthur’s carrying of their child.

Feeling himself beginning to lose energy, Alfred rolled both of their bodies so that Arthur laid on top of him, keeping Alfred from falling and hurting his mate. The taller of the two started to lick at the most noticeable of bite marks he had left on his mate, a type of apology for any pain. Unconsciously, following the licking, the Alpha began to nuzzle at his mate’s neck, enjoying the scent of sweat and sex that clung there. It was their scent; their proof of what they had done.

As both boys came down from their orgasmic highs, a strange memory came to Alfred. As Arthur’s panting slowed down and Alfred pulled out after almost twenty minutes of knotting, all the Alpha wanted to do was sleep. But, as the memory of his father warning him about Omega mates all those years ago played in his mind, his little Omega had other plans. As he straddled the Alpha and began to grind his hips down onto Alfred’s crotch, ready for yet another round, Alfred knew that sleep was to become a rarity in the following days.

And thus began Alfred and Arthur’s first week as Bonded Mates. 


	23. Of Sex and Other Sex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW warning! Just to let you guys know what the heck is going on with this chapter, I ended up putting the original chapter with a bonus chapter I had written. In other words: If you get confused, it was originally 2 separate chapters, so read like 2 separate chapters. Also, please read the author's note at the end!

December was always a cold month, always bringing snow and chilling winds. Most children were born in the spring and summer months because these fearful storms kept mates indoors with limited sources of amusement. Whether it was time for one’s Heat cycle or not, sex was always a favorite activity for couples during the fall and winter; not only did it keep them busy, but it also kept them warm. So, with the combining need of warmth in the cold house and instinct to breed, the Alpha and Omega pair of Alfred and Arthur Jones mated day in and day out during that chilling third week of the last month of the year.

“Alfred,” Arthur nuzzled into the tired Alpha’s neck, trying to keep him awake.

“Yeah?” Alfred yawned in response.

“Let’s do it again,” Arthur smiled up at the larger male who was holding him.

The boys were facing each other in their nest, Alfred holding Arthur close against his chest with a heavy comforter over them to keep in their body heat. Alfred was ready to sleep, but he knew from experience of the past three days that there was a slim chance of that happening until Arthur was sated for the day. Every time the blonde Alpha closed his eyes for a nap, he would just barely get to the gates of dreamland before a strange, imaginary ticket master, who allowed him entrance into his dreams, turned around, sporting an impressive set of eyebrows and glowing emerald green eyes that could only belong to his beloved little Omega. Imaginary Arthur would then come out from behind the counter and lead the Alpha away from the silver gates to a bed made of clouds. The Omega of his dreams would then smile gently at him, straddling him and bringing them close before his dream mate would nip at his ear and whisper in a teasing manner, “ _Do you have something for uniforms?”_ The ticket master would then run his hands down the Alpha’s chest, stopping only to wink at him before reaching that small, pale hand down towards Alfred’s hardened member. The green eyed Omega would then lean in to Alfred’s ear, and with a groan ask, “ _If you’re dreaming of fucking, then why don’t you wake up and screw me for real?”_ Alfred would then wake with Arthur either straddling him or with his dick in the Omega’s mouth.

‘ _Dammit. I just can’t get away, can I?’_ Alfred mentally sighed at Arthur’s forward suggestion. Now, don’t think that the Alpha _hated_ having sex; no, in fact, he would rather pound into his little Omega for the rest of his life if he could, but Arthur chose the most uncomfortable positions when Alfred tried to knot. Once, he had to hold Arthur up by the legs with his back against Alfred’s chest because the green eyed blonde insisted on doing it in the shower. Alfred made him swear that any more “standing positions” were to be ones with Arthur actually facing him. Alfred mentally groaned at the memory. Arthur wasn’t heavy, but between doing most of the work and then having to support another tired body, Alfred was exhausted. But, duty called. Or better yet, his Omega bitched.

“Alfred. I want to do it again!” Arthur whined when he didn’t get a response. Whining was something Arthur was always mentally above committing, but it was the means by which he had gotten Alfred to fuck him round after round. Whenever his thighs became wet from unused Slick, or leaking semen, his instincts told him that he needed the Alpha back inside of him. Arthur wished that he didn’t seem so bothersome to the Alpha, and even offered to ride the Alpha a few times (all of which were denied). But between the nagging pain in lower regions, and Alfred’s strong Alpha scent, Arthur did even the most shallow of things, such as a wake-up call blow job. Granted, they were sometimes bratty and underhanded, but Alfred was the one falling for it. And with each smile or kiss the Alpha gave him, Arthur knew his mate loved the attention just as much as he did.

Alfred listened to Arthur’s nagging, amazed that the Omega hadn’t tied him down yet to get his way, and decided to just squeeze the Omega closer to his chest. Alfred ignored Arthur’s protests of “you’re hugging too tight” or “you’re crushing me” and instead focused on nuzzling into the short, choppy hair of the British boy. Arthur’s scent had changed since their first mating, turning into a more relaxing aroma instead of an arousing one. The smell was one of rain on a summer’s day, so refreshingly cool yet warm from the sun’s rays; it was a scent that Alfred had grown up with when visiting their extended family in the south-western states of the United States. It brought on the nostalgia of him and his brother whining to their father about the heat and bugs. Then, within minutes of them whining for the umpteenth time, his grandmother’s father, his great-grandfather, pointed to the clouds in the distance. Seeing the rain, a then-younger Hehewuti and her brothers and sisters took the boys outside in the rain and danced in it under the light of the sun, which danced and mingled with the clouds as if mimicking their own movements on the ground below. It was a wonderful memory, one that Alfred hoped to re-live someday with his mate and their children.

Speaking of children…

 Alfred’s hand had wandered down towards Arthur’s lower abdomen, causing the Omega to get excited at the thought of another round of shagging. However, Arthur’s excitement quickly changed to annoyance as Alfred stopped his expedition and rubbed his semi-inflated belly that was full of Alfred’s semen. The facts well engraved into the minds of all male Omegas were that three things were certain to happen during their Heats: The ever obnoxious hardening of their penises, the fact that their “entrances” would become wider and would switch direction from their digestive tract to their reproductive one (thus causing a type of constipation for the duration of their Heats), and the fact that if and when their Alpha mate claimed them, their mate’s knotting would cause their bodies to hold in the precious liquid that would hopefully bring about a new life within the Omega’s womb. Arthur had gone through the first two problems during his un-mated years on his own, and knew how to deal with them accordingly. However, he didn’t know if he would ever get used to Alfred massaging and rubbing his swollen stomach, as if he was rubbing the soot and dirt off of a precious diamond.

“Al-“ Arthur started before Alfred gently kissed him, silencing any noise that dared try to escape the Omega’s already bruised lips.

The primal fire within Alfred was rekindled at the thought of Arthur being bred. To have a family to protect was something that every Alpha wanted and, while Alfred often thought himself to be a bit better than most Alphas, he couldn’t fight the instinct to preserve his family line. The Alpha then moved under the heavy comforter so that he was hovering over his naked mate, who had to crane his neck to the side in order to keep eye and lip contact with the unusually quiet Alpha. Alfred, after attacking Arthur’s mouth multiple times, moved from Arthur’s lips to his neck as he added more bites and kisses to the marks that littered Arthur’s upper torso and collar. Such marks meant possession to an Alpha and anyone that might try to lay claim to his mate. While something like “mate stealing” rarely ever happened in their time, the need to mark still persisted as a comforting mean for an Alpha that their mate won’t leave them. Alfred looked to Arthur, and noticed the way the Omega’s eyes were closed and his mouth open for the escape of light pants. He knew Arthur was enjoying it just as much as he was. Alfred continued south, until his head disappeared under the large blanket, and stopped once he reached Arthur’s distended stomach to focus on his navel. He first kissed the soft skin, but soon Alfred stuck out his tongue to tease the Omega’s sensitive belly button.

It was in their second day of mating that Alfred found two and Arthur’s most sensitive parts on his body. The first being his navel which, when played with, caused Arthur to shudder and moan in strange pleasure. The second sexually sensitive zone of Alfred’s little Omega was the section of his thin thighs that connected to his rounded back side. When Alfred discovered these little treasure holes of pleasure, he couldn’t stop touching and teasing them. Arthur ended up cumming much too soon as Alfred squeezed and molested his weak spots, which delighted the Alpha and infuriated the Omega. Alfred, from then on, could not seem to fuck Arthur without touching one of these places.

In their current situation, Arthur lost his sense of sight as the Alpha vanished underneath the covers. This, however, caused all of his other senses to increase even more so than they already had from his Heat. So, as his mate began to lick and bite the flesh around his stomach, Arthur’s body went tense as he let out a loud moan, calling out Alfred’s name. He laid there for a few minutes, relishing in the feeling that Alfred was supplying him, until the licking and biting suddenly stopped and Alfred seemed to have faded away from his blind touch. Being curious and somewhat irritated at his mate’s constant change in attitude, Arthur slipped under the thick blanket into the darkness that hid his blue-eyed Alpha.

As Arthur moved under the blanket, he couldn’t help but take in the scent. It smelt so much of Alfred, but there was also the scent of mating as the smell of sweet, cum, Slick, and tears that assaulted Arthur’s nose. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts; it was difficult enough that Alfred had left him hot and bothered before retreating. Arthur continued to move until his bumped his head into something soft and warm, startling him slightly. Arthur quickly pulled the blanket off of himself, finding his eyes being drawn in by the smirking face of his mate. Alfred’s eyes looked playful, like a kitten who had found a moving beam of light off of a mirror.

“Miss me?” Alfred asked as he approached Arthur on his hands and knees.

“You’re a fucking tease, you know that?” Arthur pouted in response.

Alfred hummed back as he reached forward and pulled Arthur close. “Sorry,” He nuzzled in Arthur’s neck, leaving apologetic kisses as he went. “You were just having too much fun by yourself.”

Arthur nuzzled back but stopped soon when he had an idea. He pulled away and laid back down into the nest, propping himself up on his elbows so that he could give Alfred’s confused look and smirk that mimicked his own playful one. Arthur took in Alfred’s naked form, the way his muscles moved as he approached, the way his blue eyes scanned his own bare skin, and how Alfred’s scent changed into one of a lustfully needy Alpha. They didn’t need to speak; their scents did enough of the talking. Between Arthur’s feminine scent of an fertile Omega and Alfred’s of a masculine, dominate Alpha, they knew what was going to happen, and in all honesty, neither wanted to stop it. So they didn’t.

It was a blurred memory how they ended up tangled in the sheets, but Arthur wanted to make sure that this time, Alfred was not going to leave him high and dry. Kisses became biting marks and rubs became scratches as Arthur clung to the Alpha hovering over him. Arthur loved the heat that Alfred’s body exuded, the way that it warmed up his skin just as Alfred’s ministrations heated the pool of warmth in his nether regions. Arthur hated the cold; since his internal temperature was a bit lower than an Alpha or Beta due to his Omega body, he was always shivering in the winter. Now with Alfred sheltering his mate’s cold body with own hot one, the Omega couldn’t help but melt into the touches of the Alpha’s gentle hands.

Alfred had learnt since their first time mating that Arthur liked it rough, but it was the gentle caresses that really got the Omega to become like clay in his hands. Kisses on the lips, ears, cheeks, neckline, and shoulders made Arthur shiver and moan so softly that Alfred first mistook the noises for purring. The kisses led to petting along the ribs and waist, then to groping and squeezing of the tender flesh of hips and thighs, all bringing Arthur’s moans and mewls to a high volume. Alfred worshiped his little Omega’s body, something that he would never have thought possible before meeting Arthur and his open mind.

Yes, Alfred used to picture his mate being one that pleased him, not the other way. He dreamt of coming home with his mate waiting by the door, ready and willing to take of any sexual needs he might have. In all honesty, Alfred was a bit embarrassed and disgusted by his vision of sex being like a poorly written and clearly obvious porno. Maybe that’s why he could never find a mate to suit his fantasies, because he was living in a fantasy.

Alfred’s hands froze suddenly at the thought. What if he hadn’t stepped out of his fantasy, and was just dragging Arthur into it? The Omega was in Heat… what if nothing really had changed and they were just acting upon their instincts of breeding? For the first time, Alfred was truly terrified. What if he couldn’t change and become the Alpha Arthur wanted? Would he leave him? Or would he stay and be miserable? So many scenarios flashed through his mind, ones of him losing his temper or Arthur and him fighting… they could happen. They could all happen. And in every possibility, Arthur would end up being hurt.

Arthur noticed the way Alfred’s hands went tense and stopped moving all together, a small bit of irritation coming back to him as the pleasurable ministrations stopped. He was about to ask Alfred what the hell had gotten into him until he smelt fear enter the Alpha’s scent. He looked over to where Alfred’s forehead was rested against his shoulder, and knew that something was troubling his mate.

“Alfred,” Arthur began softly, “Are you having second thoughts?”

Alfred tensed even more. Yes, he was having second thoughts, but not in the way that Arthur thought he was. Alfred frowned, he couldn’t be thinking of “if’s” and “but’s” in a moment like this. He was with his mate; his loving, gentle, picky, worrisome, sexy, fertile Omega mate. It was time to breed instead of worrying about the future, and he knew his actions were now affecting Arthur’s own thoughts of doubt.

Alfred lifted his head and kissed Arthur, smiling. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get through whatever happens in the future, so let’s just on now.”

Arthur nodded in agreement, though still a bit unsure. However, the doubt quickly left him as Alfred’s hand moved towards his entrance, teasing the lose ring of muscle with the slick that seeped from it. His breathing hitched as Alfred slipped one finger in, giving some friction, but not nearly enough to please Arthur’s nagging need to be bred. Arthur was growing more and more impatient with each slow, shallow thrust of Alfred’s single finger. The Omega craved more than just one lone finger. He wanted Alfred’s lone cock inside of him, filling him with the semen that would help stop his body’s nagging need of being filled to the brim. And he would get it, no matter what.

“Al-Alfred!” Arthur moaned into his mate’s ear.

“Yes dear?” The Alpha purred as he pulled his finger out.

“Stop teasing and get to fucking me!” The Omega yelled as he felt the finger leave him. Oh, if it wasn’t for the fact that Alfred was his mate and had ruined Arthur’s hole by stretching him to the point where his toys didn’t do anything but annoy him, Arthur swore that he would have ripped the Alpha’s throat out right then and there.

Alfred chuckled in response.

The _asshole_ had the audacity to _chuckle_ at Arthur’s situation.

Just as he opened his mouth to yell at the Alpha for not performing his Alpha-duties, Arthur let out a scream instead. Somehow, between Alfred’s smiling face and Arthur’s pissed off attitude, the Alfred had lifted Arthur’s legs up and rest his ankles on top of the Alpha’s shoulders, giving him the right position to plunge his length into the suffering Omega. Arthur’s eyes clenched shut as Alfred began to move, not taking his time seeing as how Arthur was still stretched from their previous rounds. The Omega’s hands flew up to wrap themselves around Alfred’s shoulders as he pushed in and pulled out rapidly, trying to go against the motions of Alfred’s hips to cause even more friction.

Alfred began to aim for the spot that Arthur loved to feel abused and used, and would soon lead to a screaming and begging Omega. The first deafening moan to ring into Alfred’s ears told him that he had found what he was looking for and started to aim solely for that sweet spot inside the Omega. Arthur’s mouth hung open as embarrassing moans and keening noises escaped his kiss-bruised lips and drifted into the room. As Alfred started to strike his prostate again and again, Arthur’s head fell backwards and his body became tense as he felt his long postponed release coming.

As his thrust became more erratic, Alfred found it increasingly more difficult to enter and pull out of Arthur. He felt the Omega’s nails digging into his shoulder blades, and as he lifted his head to look at his mate, realized just how close to the edge Arthur was. Seeing him in such a painfully blissful state awoke the dominate side in Alfred, causing him to give a possessive growl before leaning forward and baring his teeth into the soft flesh at the juncture of Arthur’s shoulder and neck, drawing some blood and sure to leave a beautifully daring mating mark which would catch a lot of attention.

Never one to really be for whips and chains, and being a virgin, Arthur had never experienced the pain and pleasure that came with rough sex. Sure, he had dreamt of it, getting dominated and owned by an Alpha, but it never really came through as something that would actually happen. However, the feeling of Alfred’s canines digging into his shoulder while the Alpha’s cock dug into his ass brought a remarkable feeling that Arthur could not describe any way but _amazing_. In fact, it felt so amazing that Arthur didn’t even register his own voice as he screamed with the release of the coil in his stomach, with his cum splashing onto his and Alfred’s chests.

As the energy leaves his body, Arthur’s head rested on a pillow, giving him a glance out the window nearby. The last thing the Omega remembered seeing was the snow covered branches of the large oak tree that grew right outside the house, and the two little canaries that sat snuggled together on it.

‘ _Well isn’t that just fucking poetic?’_ Arthur thought with a smile before letting sleep take over him as he felt his entrance being stretched by Alfred’s knotting.

Alfred was taken by surprise at the screaming orgasm that his mate had. Well, he was, until he remembered how many times he had denied Arthur release that day. Good news was: Alfred could sleep now that Arthur was sleeping. Bad news: He has to stay on his hands and knees while knotting so he didn’t squish or wake his mate.

“Dammit. Not again,” Alfred whined to no one in particular, while he waited for his knotting to end. 

_**A FEW DAYS** **PRIOR....**_

“It’s too bright…” A voice groaned out from beneath the covers of the king sized bed in the center of the room. It was a quiet, cold morning and the window sills were covered in thick snow that reflected light into the room, successfully waking the Alpha who was sleeping peacefully within. The Alpha reached his hand out to seek out his mate that should have been sleeping next to him. However, his hand was only met with the coolness of sheets, void of any heat source. This alerted the man in the bed that his mate was no longer present. In response the man threw off all of the blankets on the bed in a panicked state.

“Now, what should I make?” A blonde mused to himself as he began shifting through the cabinets in the modern looking kitchen. The tile floor was white, but the counter tops were all black granite. None of the appliances were more than a year old, and all were spotless and shone brightly with the sun beating against them. Looking out the kitchen window, he sighs. He would love to go and play in the snow like he did when he was a child, but now he had responsibilities. There were no longer servants to cook and clean for him, and while his mate tried his hardest to help, he only caused larger messes (and headaches) for the Omega. Speaking of his mate, the Omega turned to the staircase as he heard rapid footsteps descending.

“Mattie! Matthew!” The Alpha yelled as he came down the stairs in nothing more than a pair of white and black boxers and black socks.

Matthew let out a sigh. “Yes, Gilbert?”

The Alpha’s head immediately turned to the kitchen. “There you are! You scared me!” The albino walked over to his mate, wrapped his arms around the other’s slim waist, and brought their foreheads together with a pout. “We agreed last night that you would let me make breakfast this morning.”

“Yes, well that was more of an a-agreement just to make you go to sleep,” Matthew smiled back knowingly. “You also have work today, so no need for you stress about b-burning the food.”

Gilbert gave him a legitimately offended look. “I do not burn my food when I cook!”

Matthew pulled away and walked towards the refrigerator. ‘ _No need to just stand and talk,’_ he thought as he started to pull out eggs and milk. “Of course you don’t dear. You just want to make sure _everything_ is well done. Even the p-pancakes.”

“That was one time!” Gilbert defended. “And besides, we have to be careful about what you eat,” He rounded the island counter and pulled his mate back into the embrace that they were in before the Omega decided that he wanted to multitask at seven in the morning. “You might be-“

“Gilbert,” Matthew cut the other off firmly. “I am not pregnant. The d-doctor said so, and don’t try to c-convince me that I could be. We both know that male Omegas rarely ever conceive outside of their Heat cycles,” Matthew huffed as he squirmed out of the Alpha’s grip.

Matthew didn’t conceive in his first mating, and while it did bother the Omega slightly, he knew better than to get depressed. It was slightly heart breaking for both the Omega and Alpha when they found out that Matthew was not pregnant. Gilbert blamed it on the fact that the doctor read the screen incorrectly, but they both knew that wasn’t the case. Of course, being his first mating and the fact that first time mates didn’t usually conceive, it wasn’t much of a shock to anyone. Well, everyone except Gilbert apparently, who made sure to thoroughly embarrass his mate by telling the doctor that “there was no way that _his awesome sperm_ could have not impregnate his mate”. The car ride home was a long one that day and it was not just because of the stop at the nice restaurant for dinner as an apology.

It had only been three weeks since Matthew’s heat and a week since the doctor’s appointment, but Gilbert already wanted to try for children once again. The Alpha was determined to have offspring as soon as possible, and he knew that Matthew wanted children as well, just not quite as much as he did apparently. This “need” had led to countless sleepless nights as Gilbert seduced his Omega into bed to mate. However, the previous night was when Matthew finally put his foot down.

“Mattie, even if it’s ‘rare’, it can still happen! And then we could go shopping and start painting the room and-“

“Then you can be the one to have so-something growing inside of you for six months if you want to be so ad-adamant!” Matthew raised his voice to almost, what normal people would call, “regular” level.

Gilbert knew that voice and decided to play it safe and stop talking. He looked over at the counter, more to keep his eyes away from his mate than anything. Sure, he was an Alpha and loved a good fight for dominance, but Matthew was his mate and would be, hopefully, the mother of his children. It was better for him to appease his mate than try and force him into anything.

Matthew let out a sigh of frustration as he went back to cutting up potatoes and onions. Honestly, his mate was probably just as exhausting to deal with as his brother, and that was saying something. But Gilbert was his Alpha, his mate, and his lover. He was the only one that Matthew could speak to without fearing judgment or second guessing himself, and definitely one of the only people he didn’t stutter when speaking to. Matthew loved his obnoxiously pushy and possessive mate and, thus, he did feel a pang of guilt when Gilbert stopped talking and looked like a kicked puppy. So, setting the knife down, he turned to the Alpha and gave him an apologetic peck on the cheek.

“Look, we can still go sh-shopping for a crib and we can still think about names. But you have to work, and I have to go see about making an a-appointment with the Omega Specialty School to meet the Dean, and take the as-assessment test today so I can finish my schooling,” Matthew spoke gently as he wrapped his arms around the put-off albino. “So let’s just let things happen little by little, okay?”

Gilbert nodded slowly as he nuzzled into Matthew’s neck, taking in his mate’s scent. “I just want us to have a family,” He whispered as Matthew’s hands began to run through his short, almost white hair.

“We will, but I think that this is a sign that now is just not the right time. B-but when that time comes,” he moved away slightly, bringing Gilbert’s ruby eyes to look into his own amethyst ones. “We’ll welcome the baby with open arms.”

Gilbert gave him a soft smile before kissing his head. His lips then traveled down to Matthew’s face where he attacked it with pecks and licks, becoming more intense as he moved down to the Omega’s jaw and neck.

Matthew giggled as he felt his mate focus on his neckline. “That tickles,” he chuckled as he tilted his head to try and move Gilbert’s adventurous mouth away from his sensitive flesh. “Come on Gil, let me make us some breakfast before you have to leave for work,” The Omega tried to reason with his mate that was getting more and more aggressive with his ministrations.

Gilbert stopped momentarily to chuckle at his Omega’s words. “To hell with work, I want _you_ for breakfast.”

Before he could retort, Matthew was lifted into his mate’s arms and lifted onto the black surface of the island counter with the ingredients he had pulled out being pushed to the side. Matthew felt the large shirt he wore as sleepwear move up a bit, the cold air of the winter morning hitting his chest and stomach with full force.

Before the Omega could react, he felt something warm and wet streak across his nipple before settling on one and encompassing the nub in the warm wetness that was Gilbert’s mouth. Matthew felt a shiver of pure pleasure run up his spine before letting out a lewd moan involuntarily, his hands instinctively going to Gilbert’s hair to use his mate as an anchor. Feeling his snowy hair being pulled, Gilbert smirked against the sensitive flesh of Matthew’s chest; everything was going just how he planned, and soon, Matthew would be begging for him. Yes, everything was going perfectly.

Until he bit a little too hard.

“God-goddammit Gilbert!” Matthew shrieked as he pushed the Alpha away and rubbed the now throbbing flesh of his chest. “Th-this is why I don’t let you do this sort of stuff!”

Gilbert stumbled back a bit, shocked at his mate’s response more than anything till he saw the angry red marks on Matthew’s chest and the tears starting to form in his eyes.  “A-ah, Mattie, I’m sorry. Let me-“

“N-no! You go get dressed and I’ll finish breakfast,” Matthew stated as he pointed towards the stairs that would lead to their bedroom, pulling his shirt back down as he did. The Omega tried to glare at his mate, but the unwanted water in his eyes made him squint more than anything. ‘ _Stupid tears!’_

Gilbert, feeling guilty for making his mate cry, obliged and left the room to retreat to their bedroom.

(Line Break)

“Okay, let’s try this again!” Abel yelled through the microphone on the other side of the window in the sound booth. The Dutch man fell back into his chair behind the control panel of the sound booth with a huff as he glared at the three men inside the booth.

“Abel, por que?” Antonio whined to man on the other side of the glass.

Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio were working on a new album, but for some reason, the chords and vocals were just not melding together, forcing the band to modify and change the song again and again. Their producer, Abel, was a hard man to please, and he definitely did not appreciate having to take even more time from his schedule to fix a single song. Francis rolled his shoulders, which responded with a loud crack, while Antonio stretched his playing hand. But Gilbert merely stood in the same spot he had been in for the last hour, an irritated look in his eyes.

“Well, we might as well give this one more go. Hey, Gil, why don’t you try hitting the notes a bit higher?” Antonio suggested with a tired smile.

However, the Spaniard was only met with an angry glare and a sharp tongue. “Why don’t we just not do this song and go home already?!” Gilbert yelled into the microphone.

Abel glared at the albino and stood, quickly making his way into the sound booth. “Gilbert, we have wasted too much time as it is. Just suck it up, belt it out, and we will all be out of here a lot sooner.”

Gilbert growled at the Beta and set his guitar aside and walked towards the Dutch man. “Look, I’ve been ‘belting it out’ for the last three years, and honestly, I’m getting pretty tired of you not giving any of us the credit we deserve for ‘sucking it up’ and tolerating your shit,” Gilbert grabbed the Abel’s collar and brought the blonde’s hard blue eyes to look at his angry, red ones.

“Gilbert, mon cher, let the man go. We’re all tired, no? Maybe we should just take a break and get some fresh air,” Francis suggested as he came around his drum set. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, but the heat and tension in the room caused his bangs to stick to his forehead with sweat. “Besides, Antonio and I need to get back to our homes soon to check on our families,” He sent a knowing smirk towards the Spaniard, “And Gilbert needs to get home to _start_ his.”

Gilbert glared at the Beta before smirking, “All the more reason for us to leave now!”

Abel flashed a warning look at the Frenchman and his mouth was quick to follow, “This is the last song for this album, and we need it finished by tomorrow in order to meet the deadline that _all_ _of you_ set,” the Beta growled out.

“Then give us the rest of today off to rest up and we can get it done tomorrow,” Antonio gave the glaring Dutch man his million watt smile.

Abel sighed before turning around and leaving the sound booth, all while grumbling something in his native tongue. The three band mates stood and watched the man go past the window in front of the mixing table outside of the sound-proof room, each exchanging looks with the others. Soon, the spiky, blonde haired man re-appeared with a blue and white stripped scarf around his neck and a jacket on top of his shirt.

“Well? You all wanted the day off right?” He deadpanned through the microphone on the outside of the booth. The man then stood and opened the door, which lead out into one of the many hallways of their production company’s main headquarters, and left.

(Line Break)

“What do you mean they didn’t accept you? You passed all of their tests with flying colours!”  The house seemed to shake as Gilbert roared at the letter in front of him.

Matthew had returned to the house a couple hours after Gilbert did, his eyes glassy and wet with tears. The Alpha had planned on surprising his mate by cooking him a congratulatory lunch to celebrate Matthew’s acceptance into the Omega Specialty School. Using the cooking knowledge that he had picked up from his brother’s and friend’s Italian mates, Gilbert was pretty proud of what he had made. However, the letter in Matthew’s shaking hands and the redness of his eyes as he entered their home turned the celebratory meal into one meant for soothing and comforting.

“I-I don’t know,” Matthew sniffed as he tried to steady his hand that held a spoon full of potato and cheese gnocchi soup. “I t-took the test, a-and went to the w-wating room. Within an hour, th-they called me to the ad-administrative office and gave me _that,_ ” he weakly pointed at the letter in Gilbert’s hands. His hands shook with every heaving breath he took, but the sting in his voice conveyed the overall anger and contempt he held for the situation.

Gilbert glared at the paper as he chewed his sandwich, “After lunch I’ll find out who the hell is in charge of acceptance and I’ll-“

“Gilbert don’t talk while eating,” Matthew whispered as he stirred the soup with his spoon, his own sandwich sitting on a plate next to him, untouched. Gilbert was about to retort, but the blank look in Matthew’s eyes caused him to purse his lips.

The mates ate in silence for the rest of their meal, the only sound being those of spoons against porcelain bowls, water running in the sink, and chairs scrapping against the tile floor. Matthew disappeared into the bedroom soon after the kitchen was cleaned, leaving Gilbert alone in the lower floor of their home. The albino Alpha ran a hand through his hair as he stole another glance at the piece of paper on the table. He could almost laugh at how something as harmless as a piece of paper could cause so much distress for his family.

Speaking of Matthew… Gilbert started to climb the stairs towards where his mate had holed himself up away from the world. One thing that Gilbert had noticed from years of observing his friends’ Omega mates, and now his own, is that Omegas had a terrible habit of tearing down their own self-esteems. Give them one chance to think that they are worth less than they are and all of a sudden, they aren’t even worth the dirt on the floor. Opening the door to their room, Gilbert discovered that he was correct in his assumptions.

Matthew was not on their bed, but rather in his nesting area, with pillows and blankets pulled around him to make a fairly tall barricade from his imaginary fears and doubts. Even without the scents flowing through the air, the Alpha instantly knew that his mate was in distress with the sounds of choking sobs resonating from the corner where the blonde was laying. However, the scents soon became ones of fear rather than sadness as Gilbert made his way closer to the nest, causing the Alpha to halt in his movements. Before long, Gilbert made his way to the nest, stripping away his clothing as he did; ridding his body of the scents that deterred his own Alpha based ones. Such scents had caused Matthew to become afraid and reject him at first on their first night of Matthew’s Heat; the Omega not recognizing the scents covering the Alpha with his overly receptive senses.

“Matthew,” Gilbert whispered into the Omega’s ear as he laid down next to the equally naked Omega. “It’s going to be alright, I’m here.”

Matthew visibly shuddered as he felt Gilbert’s arms snaked around him and brought them closer so that Matthew’s back touched the flesh of Gilbert’s chest. Without any control over them, the Omega’s tears became flowing rivers as he let his eyes empty his emotions from his mind and heart. He instinctively turned around so that he was facing the safety of Gilbert’s scent and body, his emotional safety net from the world.

As his watery eyes dried and Gilbert’s hand traced loving circles on the small of his back, Matthew fit his forehead into the crook of Gilbert’s neck and tried to control his breathing in the comforting warmth that resonated from there.

“I-I’m sorry,” Matthew whispered.

Gilbert said nothing, but squeezed his mate even closer, their naked flesh melting together. He moved his head down and rubbed his cheek against the Omega’s, kissing away the remaining tears as he pulled away. Bringing one hand up, he let the silken feel of Matthew’s hair run across his fingers and the feeling of the younger male’s breathing even out against his neck. While he hated seeing Matthew distressed about anything, there was always that sense of satisfaction when he was able to comfort the Omega for Gilbert. He loved the feeling of Matthew depending on him and needing him for emotional comfort, more so than when Matthew needed him physically.

The pair stayed twisted together for a while, just enjoying the silence and light breathing of each other. After about thirty minutes or so, Gilbert pulled back to look at Matthew’s now sleeping face, smiling at the way the Omega mumbled and buried his face back into Gilbert’s neck. He watched the Omega sleep, taking in his mate’s pale skin, the way his back rose with each breath, the curve of his back down to his ass, the way his legs wrapped around the Alpha’s own and his crotch pressed up against-

‘ _Shit,’_ Gilbert mentally swore as blood started to rush south of his waist. He tried to think of anything and everything disgusting, disheartening, and wrong in every way. But none of the disturbing thoughts could block out the memory of the Omega in his arms, on his knees with head propped up on a pillow and his hands reached around to spread those plump, smooth-

“Gil?” A voice interrupted the Alpha’s thoughts and drew his attention back to his mate, who was looking up at him with violet eyes and thin, raised eyebrows that only held one question: Are you really in _that_ mood? The Alpha could only look away with a slight blush of embarrassment in response. He couldn’t expect Matthew to have sex right after being rejected from the school that he had planned his future around, especially after he had promised said man that they would slow down on the sexual activities.

Fuck his past self for making a promise like that.

Looking back at the Omega in his arms, Gilbert offered him an apologetic look. As much as he would have loved to make Matthew’s mind go blank with pleasure, he knew that if Matthew was not in the mood, then he would end up having more than just one night of denied bliss. Honestly, he should have been happy with just being able to make his mate feel safe, but Alpha instincts were ones based mostly around power, greed, and sex.

‘ _Great… I just made myself sound like a complete asshole…’_ His eye moved away once again in shame as he started to become lost in his thoughts.

“Gilbert?” A voice rang out to the Alpha. He looked back at his mate, the source of the sound, and was taken aback by the blush on his face. “D-do you want… you know… t-to have sex?” Matthew asked, his face becoming more and more red with embarrassment every passing second.

Now, if Gilbert was not to-the-moon happy by this point, nothing would have made it so. While he didn’t like it when Matthew stuttered while talking to people usually, the quiet, whispering stutters that his voice carried when embarrassed were some of the most adorable and lovable things that Gilbert found about his mate. The way his eyes shifted nervously, refusing to look up in an attempt to act as if he didn’t just initiate sex talk just added to the happiness that his mate felt. Well, Gilbert was technically the one to start it, but he didn’t care to keep score at the moment. However, he had to be polite and gentle, to make sure that he didn’t scare his Omega mate into changing his mind in the initial steps of their love making.

So, with a little pet of the hip, and sweet, longing kiss, Gilbert leaned in to his mate’s ear, “Do you want to, _Birdie_?” The albino smirked as he felt the Omega in his arms shudder in response.

Oh, how Matthew hated that name. Gilbert had started calling him “Birdie” after he saw the Omega for the first time in the park, tending to a wounded little bird one day. He didn’t even know Matthew’s name at the time, and thus, decided that he would just refer to him as “Birdie”. Or at least until Matthew was properly introduced to the Alpha by Francis and requested that the albino ceased calling him the nickname. It had no relation to anything Matthew was actually interested in, it made him feel like he should be wearing feathers and, most of all, it meant that Gilbert was going to fuck him till the sun came up. Again. It was the only warning the Alpha gave his mate, as he began to squeeze, lick, and nip gently along Matthew’s willing body, and for once, the Omega didn’t seem to mind.

“Gil…” Matthew whispered as the Alpha kissed along his jaw line. “Can you go get the lube from the nightstand?”

With a curt nod, the Alpha was up and nearly sprinting to the nightstand and back. He tossed the bottle onto the mattress below before kneeling down onto it and advancing towards Matthew, draping his body over the others. He resumed his attack on Matthew’s body, starting to leave marks here and there as a warning to any wandering eyes that might dare look at his mate. Each shudder and quiet moan that left Matthew’s body told Gilbert to continue on, making him become more daring with his movements with each passing minute.

“God… Gilbert, stop stalling,” Matthew groaned as he wrapped his arms around his mate’s neck.

“Who said I’m stalling?” The Alpha chuckled. A quick pinch to base of his neck made him cease his laughter in favor of kissing Matthew possessively. ‘ _If he wants us to go faster, then so be it.’_

A few bites, moans, and keens later, Matthew was on his hands and knees, pushing back onto Gilbert’s intruding finger that covered everything it touched with the sweet smelling lubrication. The Omega was soon groaning in frustration as his mate continued to fuck him with a single finger when he needed at least two to feel any sort of pleasure. He looked back at the Alpha and tried to glare at him, but just as his eyes connected with the others, he felt not two, but three fingers enter him.

“Now, now, Birdie. If you want it that badly, you need to be patient,” Gilbert teased as Matthew let out a surprised gasp. It didn’t hurt of course, the Omega had taken much more than a measly three digits, but the feeling still surprised Matthew whenever they had sex outside of his Heat. Gilbert grinned as he watched Matthew thrust his hips back onto his hand, his other hand slipping up and down on his own cock. After a few more thrusts and stretches, the Alpha deemed his mate ready and pulled his hand away to grasp the Omega’s hip and guide them together.

If there was one thing that Matthew could say about his mate honestly, without a doubt, it was that Gilbert loved to fuck rough. Not that Matthew hated it, no, in fact he loved the feeling of someone on top of him, taking control of the situation and letting Matthew just focus on the feeling of his instincts being sated. However, it always made the initial movements of their non-Heat love making sessions a bit awkward as he needed some time to adjust to the Alpha’s size but, Alpha instincts be damned to hell, Gilbert just kept on thrusting. After a few thrusts, though, it was all worth it when the Alpha finally focused on pleasing his mate.

Pants and moans started to fill the air as the set of mates rocked together, grinding their hips together to go as far as possible. The male on top leaned down to kiss and bite the soft flesh of his partner beneath him as he plunged his hips forward, searching for his mate’s pleasure spot. While male Omegas did have some down sides to their gender and Social Importance class, the fact that they had both a prostate and overly sensitive walls leading to their womb made up for it. So, as Gilbert thrust into Matthew’s prostate, the Omega screamed in blinding pleasure as the cock rubbed against every fiber of his entrance.

Moans became screams and pants became demands for harder and faster thrusts, all driving both to become growling beasts of pleasure. Matthew’s finger nails dug into the palm of his hand through the pressure he put into his clenched hands, red smearing on the white sheets beneath him. Gilbert’s thrusts became more erratic as he felt both himself and his mate coming to their ends, his own hand reaching down to grasp Matthew’s abandoned cock to assure his mate’s release came with his own. After all, it always felt better to finish with Matthew’s body shivering under him and his cries filling his ears.

And that afternoon, Gilbert and Matthew were both blessed with such a finish to their love making as Gilbert plowed into his mate one last time with a strong bite to Matthew’s shoulder, which caused the Omega to reach the end of his durability. Both groaned in pleasure as Matthew came into Gilbert’s hand and felt his Alpha’s semen rush into his body like a flood, filling him with it while preventing the loss of any by knotting successfully. After feeling himself empty into his mate, Gilbert groaned and pulled them both over to lie on their sides and spoon comfortably.

They laid there for a while, enjoying the sensation that only came with being knotted and sated after sex. Gilbert nuzzled into Matthew’s hair and then his neck, taking in his mate’s scent of a well breed and satisfied Omega; the feeling of pride he felt knowing that Matthew smelt like a mated Omega made his smile grow even larger. They rubbed and kissed each other, trying to get as much of the other’s scent on them as possible before the Alpha’s knot ended and they would lose their primal need, becoming “normal, functioning members of society”.

“I’m sorry, Gilbert,” Matthew whispered as the Alpha kissed his cheek.

“Sorry for what?” The Alpha pulled back slightly to look at his mate with a confused look.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t get into the school… You bought this house just so that I could go there and now…” Matthew trailed off and his eyes followed suit away from his mate’s red ones.

Gilbert looked at Matthew surprisingly. “Mattie…” Gilbert whispered at he pulled his mate even closer to his body and started to kiss the Omega’s shoulders lovingly. “Honestly, I don’t give a damn about the school. I mean, it would have been great for you finish your schooling, but we have enough money to live more than comfortably. I bought this house because the town is in between where our families live and it’s a nice neighborhood. And besides,” He moved his head up to Matthew’s ear. “Now you and I can focus on making our family.”

Matthew stayed quiet, but his body shuddered at Gilbert’s words. He too, was now looking forward to prospect of having children soon, more than before now that he didn’t feel the pressure of having to raise a family and pass his classes at the same time. However, the pain of failure was still there, and he could only hope that he wouldn’t fail as a mother as well.

After twenty minutes or so, Gilbert groaned as his cock softened and he reluctantly pulled out of his mate’s entrance. He looked down to see some of his semen drip out of the stretched hole, and something inside him stirred in satisfaction that the Omega next to him was still full of his seed. The pride was short lived, however, as their doorbell began to ring out. The Alpha sighed in response, a bit agitated, but he convinced himself to get up and go see who had disturbed his and Matthew’s after-sex cuddling.

Throwing on a pair of pants, Gilbert made his way down stairs to the door and opened it. There, in the light of moon stood a Beta that the albino could’ve sworn he had seen somewhere before, but could not, for the life of him, figure out where. But, looking at his yellow uniform under his thick winter coat, Gilbert figured that the boy went to the high school that Matthew was attended before their bonding ceremony.

‘ _Looks like we were at it all afternoon…’_ Gilbert thought as he looked at the sky before turning his attention back to the Beta at his door step.

“H-hello,” the Beta with brown hair spoke up. “My name is Torris and I’ve come with a message for Matthew. Is he home by chance?”

“Yeah, he’s home. But he’s not exactly able to come to the door right now,” Gilbert smirked at the blush that flashed across the Beta’s face.

“Oh g-god, did I come d-during his-“ The Beta began.

“No, no,” Gilbert waved him off with a laugh. “He’s just-“

“I’m just what, Gil?” Matthew called from behind the Alpha as he made his way to the door in a pair of plaid pajamas. “Oh, Torris! Gilbert, let him in,” Matthew demanded.

Gilbert was about to do as his mate commanded, but the Beta spoke up before being ushered into the house. “Oh, thank you, but I have to leave as soon as possible. I just came because your brother asked me to inform you of something.”

“Alfred? Why didn’t he just call me?” Matthew looked at the Beta in curiosity. His brother never asked anyone to do anything for him that he could easily do himself, especially when it came to delivering messages.

“Well, that’s the thing… He, um… maybe I should come in,” Torris gave Matthew and Gilbert an apologetic smile as the Alpha stepped aside for the Beta to enter. After sitting down in the formal living room, Torris took a deep breath before relaying the message that Alfred had asked him to deliver. “Your brother was in Dominance Fight this afternoon.”

“What?!” Both Gilbert and Matthew shouted.

“Yes, and now, he is on his way back to the farm house with-“

“Is he hurt? Does he need me to go to the house? Oh god, Torris, he didn’t get into a fight with someone in the family did he?” Matthew asked quickly as he stood up from his chair, ignoring the slight throbbing in his lower back.

“No, he didn’t fight any of your family members, and yes, he is fine, Matthew. Well, physically at least,” Torris averted his eyes.

“He lost, didn’t he?” Gilbert asked with a serious tone. Dominance Fights were not something that someone issued lightly. They were essentially a fight to the death if neither Alpha back down and, in Alfred’s case, Gilbert knew that the boy would never back down if he felt he was in the right.

“Not essentially,” Torris responded. “The fight was broken up by a third party.”

“Wait, what?” Gilbert asked incredulously.

Torris sighed. “Yes, to make a long story short: Alfred and Arthur Kirkland are going to be mates by the end of the coming week.”

Silence cut through the air, all three people staring at each other as if afraid to be the first one to move or speak. Matthew and Gilbert will still trying to process the information just given to them, and Torris was hoping the pair would not shoot him, the messenger.  

Matthew was the first to break the silence, “So… Alfred and Arthur…”

Torris nodded in affirmation. “He called me a few hours ago asking me to have the farm house stocked by tomorrow morning. It sounds like that is where there will be… bonding,” Torris stated with faint blush on his cheeks. He himself was not yet mated, but that was typical for Betas unlike the “bonded at 15 and kids at 16” Omegas.

“Does Grandmother know?” Matthew asked meekly.

“I don’t know,” Torris responded with a shake of the head.

Silence soon followed once again, and feeling the atmosphere becoming more and more uncomfortable, Torris finally excused himself. The mated pair saw the Beta to the door and wished him a farewell before shutting out the cold winter air. Gilbert and Matthew went into the living room, wound themselves up in a blanket and turned on the television for nothing more but for something to end the silence. Each were caught in their own thoughts and concerns, but they knew better than to try and talk about them; there was nothing they could do at that point anyway.

“Well, I guess this mean only one thing for us,” Gilbert announced suddenly, surprising the Omega with the high volume of his voice.

“O-oh? And what would that be?” Matthew looked towards his mate with a questioning look.

Gilbert returned Matthew’s gaze with a smirk before kissing him. As they broke the kiss, Gilbert grinned as his eyes met his mates. “We have to have more sex or else your brother and Arthur will be parents before us!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to apologize to everyone that has reviewed so far. I thought that I was responding to your reviews, but apparently, my phone wasn't posting them. There have been some problems with my computer as of late and I was just copying the chapters off of tumblr onto here. So I deeply apologize to everyone. I will be going through and responding to as many of the reviews as I can. Thank you to everyone that has left kudos, comments, and bookmarks! There mean a lot to me!


	24. Of New-New Homes and New Families

“Arthur, the Head Alpha wants you to come live with me and the rest of the family at the main house,” Alfred spoke with a serious tone as he and Arthur folded the now clean sheets and blankets that were once covered in their mating scents.

Alfred had tried to convince the green eyed boy that he would tell his family servants to come by and clean up their mess, but the British Omega would have none of it. So, there they were, in the laundry room, washing and folding the bedding from Arthur’s Heat. Arthur was humming a small tune, but it was quickly cut short by the information that Alfred threw out into the air. He looked towards the Alpha with confusion.

“Pardon?”

Alfred sighed. He looked at Arthur and repeated, “The Head Alpha wants you to come live with me and the rest of the family at the main house.”

Arthur was taken aback. “I thought we were going to live here,” Arthur gestured to the house that they were currently in. “I thought we were going to make this our home,” His frustration was evident, as he was told that he would have to uproot himself once again.

Alfred frowned, knowing that Omegas did not appreciate moving. They were creatures of habit, and loved to make their homes a safe haven for them, their mates, and their children; something that moving around did not help. Alfred smiled at him gently, like a mother would to her upset child. He set the blanket he had just folded down into the basket at his feet and walked over to his little Omega taking the sheet out of his hands and laying it on the nearby table. He wrapped one arm around Arthur’s waist and then took the Omega’s left hand into his own right hand, pulling them flushed against each other.

“Alfred, what do you think you’re doing?” Arthur questioned.

“Is it a crime to dance with one’s mate?” Alfred playfully retorted as he started to pull Arthur into slow turns and steps.

“I suppose it-“ Arthur started.

“Then let me dance with you,” Alfred cut in. Arthur glared at the Alpha for not letting him finish, but he let the overgrown child guide him to and fro, dancing to imaginary music.

“Now,” Alfred smiled, “close your eyes.” Arthur did as he was instructed, but not before giving Alfred an inquisitive lift of an eye brow. Alfred continued to guide them, holding Arthur closer than before.

“Picture a room. A large exquisite room; one with polished marble floors and pillars, with gold accents and fixtures that decorate the walls, windows and doors that look out over a garden unlike one that you have ever seen, even in your dreams. Now, imagine that there are musicians in one of the corners, playing violins, cellos, flutes… you name it. They are playing whatever song you want them to be playing.”

Alfred spun them both, guiding his blind mate out into the hallway and into the formal living room, all the while painting a scene for Arthur.

“They play to your taste because, after all, we hired them. Now, picture Matthew, Gilbert, Kiku, and anyone else you want to be in the room. Give them all formal attire. They are all dancing to the music; laughing and chatting as they go. Now, picture large, wooden, double entrance doors at the head of the room, two servant men standing by them. They are waiting for the people that the party is being celebrated for; they are waiting for a newly Bonded couple.”

Alfred pulled them through the family room, towards the kitchen. He twirled Arthur on the tile floor, pulling him back into his chest. The Omega remains trusting, keeping his eyes closed all the while, as a smile graced his lips at the mental picture that he created with Alfred’s words.

“Suddenly, the musicians stop,” He stopped his and Arthur’s movements.

“Everyone turns to the doors as the servants open them,” He took the hand that was holding Arthur’s own and runs it down the Omega’s side.

“And through the doors walks in an Alpha of impeccable strength and good looks,” Alfred gives a smirk and Arthur snorts at the description. Alfred’s hand that was wrapped around Arthur’s waist moved forward till both of Alfred’s hands rested on the Omega’s slim hips.

“And next to him, walking as gracefully and looking as majestic as a queen, will be his lovely Omega mate,” He leaned down until his and Arthur’s forehead’s touched. As dark blonde eyelashes fluttered, green looked up at blue, and a small blush moved onto Arthur’s cheeks as he finished picturing what Alfred was describing.

“Doesn’t that sound wonderful, Arthur?” Alfred whispered gently. “Isn’t that what you want?”

Arthur stayed still, only his eyes moving downwards to think on the Alpha’s words. Alfred continued to look at his little Omega, hoping that he would understand that the life he wanted for the both of them was greater than the ranch home that they were currently in. He wanted Arthur and their children to live comfortably without any hardships, surrounded by friends and family, and to dance without a care. He knew that there would obviously be some challenges, but Alfred did not want Arthur to live in ridicule or to be shunned because of his blood. And there was also the chance of their children being AB blood types as well; something that that his family would not approve of. But in order for them to accept it Alfred had to become Head Alpha of the family, and to do that he needed Arthur and him to be living in the main house.

Slowly, Arthur looked up at Alfred, the blush still on his cheeks. “I suppose… it sounds nice,” Arthur’s eyes darted left and right, trying to avoid Alfred’s gaze.

That was all the Alpha needed to hear. In a sudden burst of excitement, his hands went down to Arthur’s thighs and he picked up the Brit into his arms, spinning him around once before Arthur’s hits to his shoulder and chest registered as him telling Alfred to put the squirming Omega back on the ground. Alfred’s smile stretched even wider as he kissed Arthur, followed by nuzzling that the Omega could not help but return.

“Arthur! You’re going to love it! Between all the rooms and the garden and forest in the backyard, you’ll feel like you’re ruling over your own kingdom! I mean, it’s so big and there’s a party at least once a month, and-“ Alfred’s mouth was running a hundred miles per hour. He was speaking so quickly that he was beginning to lose breath, only stopping when Arthur placed a finger on his lips.

Arthur smiled sweetly at the Alpha. “I know, love. I’ve been to your house before, remember?”

Alfred smiled brightly before taking the hand attached to the finger on his lips and kissed the palm. “You mean _our_ house. _Our home_.”

—————————————————————

How the woman did it, Arthur would never know.

The scene before him was like one out of those horrid American drama movies that Alfred had tried to convince him to watch the weekend following his Heat, while trying to tidy up a bit before leaving to move to the main Jones family household. Arthur was currently sitting behind a large, impressive desk at the front of a large room that Alfred had explained was the family meeting room. His seat was next to Hehewuti, who was now his Head Alpha through mating rights and was ignoring the scene in front of her by writing out what seemed to be a list on her desk. To the opposite side of the Head sat Alfred, who was rubbing his temples with his thumb and forefinger. Arthur would have asked if his mate was alright, but the yelling happening right in front of them drowned out all other sounds.

”How the hell is that boy even _considered_ to be Head?! He is not part of the Head Alpha’s children, he is too quick to act without thinking, and now he has gone and gotten a mate before consulting the family?! He is a disgrace!” The obtuse male Alpha, who Alfred had pointed out as his uncle, bellowed at a male Omega who sat across the room from himself.

“It has never been a requirement that the next heir be one of the current Head Alpha’s children! Also, you are always going on about ‘tradition this, tradition that’, and it is tradition for the heir to have a mate, not what the family thinks of his or her mate! You are just upset that he is now meeting all the requirements to be Head Alpha. And for the record, I for one like his Omega mate,” The shouting Omega looked up at Arthur and smiled. This man was probably the only one out of all the Head’s children that actually looked like her. His eyes were a dark brown, and his hair was short and black with little cowlicks here and there. He looked tired, but he still kept a certain “youthfulness” about him.

“Well of course _you_ like him! You have always been a troublesome Omega; running off and getting into fights! Hell, we all would have thought that you were one of those AB freaks had mother not gotten you tested! So much trouble and no sense of place,” The blonde female Alpha with too-long red fingernails shrieked at her brother.

The flinching that Arthur tried to suppress at the comment not directed at him did not go unnoticed by his mate. Alfred let out a low growl in frustration, wishing that he could tell the elder Alpha to stop talking and take a seat; her voice was starting to grate on his nerves, and her comment about AB blood types was not helping her case. But to avoid the family shunning Arthur, and thus giving them yet another reason to dispute his place as heir, the fact of Arthur’s blood, the Dominance Fight, and how said fight ended were all to be kept a secret. So, instead of joining the yelling, Alfred chose to sit back and let his aunts, uncles, and cousins (verbally) duke it out.

“Would you all just calm down? Mother is trying to conduct the meeting and-“ A dirty blonde Beta finally spoke up, only to be cut off by her sister.

“No, we will not ‘calm down’! This is an outrage! We don’t know who this Omega is, where he is from, what diseases he may have, if he is just trying to get money-“

“ENOUGH!” A loud yell cut through all the noise, bringing dead silence to the room and everyone’s attention to the front where Alfred was standing out of his chair with a sense of rage in his eyes.

“Alfred…” Hehewuti warned quietly, her eyes still locked on the paper on her desk.

Knowing that his grandmother did not want him pissing off any of her children, Alfred took in a deep breath before speaking. He moved out from behind the desk slowly, everyone looking at him with either contempt or confusion. “Look, I know that I did not consult the family before mating with Arthur. But, as stated before, it is not necessary for me to have the consent of my family, but rather, Arthur’s family before claiming him as my mate. That being said,” Alfred’s eyes locked with similar blue ones of his aunt. “I will not sit here and let you accuse Arthur or I of not being up to par with your standards. I was giving his family’s consent to mate with him, I was given his consent to become his mate, and we are now mated; all of which makes us rightful mates.”

Arthur watched in silent awe at how Alfred handled the situation. The Omega believed that the Alpha would have flown of the handle and started a fist fight, but he did no such thing. Instead he acted quite diplomatic, and reasonable, and… _appealing._ Arthur felt his face begin to heat up as he moved his eyes to his lap and tried to get rid of the ideas in his head. Alfred and he had just mated, so the Omega tried to sum it up to post-Heat hormones in his body were causing him to think of Alfred in such a way.

‘ _Yes, he’s your mate, Arthur. But, that doesn’t mean you need to shag with him every day…’_ Arthur tried to reason with himself.

Silence continued to linger in the room, everyone looking towards one another to see who would be the one to make the first move. Alfred glanced back at Arthur and gave him a weak smile before turning to his grandmother.

“Head Alpha, if it appeases the family, then I ask for your opinion on my selection of mate,” Alfred spoke loudly.

The Alpha sighed and set her pen down, finally looking up at her family before her. She cleared her throat before speaking, “Alfred, I approve of your choice in mate. However, for you to have my full support I require you to Bond with him through ceremony so that there are no misconceptions as to your mating status. Do I make myself clear?” Her eyes darted between Alfred and Arthur, who both gave nods of agreement. “That being said,” she stood and walked out from behind her desk and headed to her Omega son, handing him the paper she had been writing on. “This is a list of the materials we will need purchase, the people we need to call, and various different formalities that will needed to be tended to before the Bonding Ceremony. Everyone is to help in this endeavor and if I hear any complaints, it had better be that the meat at the after party was too salty, is that understood?” She rose her voice at the last statement.

The meeting was soon ended with no further debates for the time being. Though, the glares that were sent towards Arthur by Alfred’s Alpha aunt and uncle made the Omega tense and alert. Once the room was clear Alfred excused himself and Arthur, to which the Head Alpha merely waved her hand and went back to reading what looked like a contract of some sorts.

“Alright, now that the drama is over with, let’s go pick a room,” Alfred stated as they walked out of the meeting room.

“Wh-what?” Arthur stopped in confusion. “What do you mean by ‘pick a room’?”

Alfred looked back as his little Omega and grinned. “Well, we can’t mate out here in the fo-“

“That’s not what I mean!” Arthur growled, embarrassed by his mate’s crudeness. “I meant, what is wrong with your bedroom? Why can’t we just stay there?”

Alfred gave him a playful smile and wrapped his arms around the blushing Omega’s waist. “Well, my room isn’t built for Omegas. There isn’t a nesting area and the walls aren’t completely sound proof. Unless you want everyone to know what I do to you when you’re in heat,” Alfred wagged his eyebrows. “I mean, with the way you scream my name and beg me to-“

“You say one more word and I will happily castrate you,” Arthur seethed at his Alpha as he cut him off.

“Ah, but you love my-“

“I can go find another Alpha with just as big of a _package_ ,” Arthur threatened as Alfred’s smile turned into a pout and his arms unraveled themselves from Arthur’s slim waist.

“You’re mean,” The Alpha whined.

“And you’re loudly expressive as to what we do in bed. Do you want people stealing our tricks?” Arthur teased as his arms snaked up and around Alfred’s neck, bringing him down to Arthur’s level.

“I guess not…” Alfred seceded.

“Then let us go pick a room like you suggested. However, I do have one request,” Arthur looked at Alfred and gave the Alpha a teasing smile.

“Which is?” Alfred smiled back, catching on to his mate’s sudden burst of flirtatious behaviour. He tilted his head so that Arthur could whisper into his ear what the Omega wished to do.

“Can we… test the beds? I mean, it is where you and I are going to be conducting quite a bit of _business_. It would be a shame if it can’t hold up to your _diplomatic_ side…” Arthur all but panted into Alfred’s ear, causing shivers to run up the Alpha’s spine and blood down to his nether regions. The Omega just could not get the image of his Alpha acting so mature and commanding, like a true Head Alpha, out of his head!

Alfred pulled back and lifted Arthur into his arms, “I’m sure we can do that. It might take us longer than expected, but I suppose I can move around some _appointments_ if my Omega would like to have a _private conference_.”

“I can wait for dinner. I’m hungry for something else right now,” Arthur nuzzled into Alfred’s neck, nipping at the flesh there.

———————————————

Buzz.

_Buzzzz._

**_Buzzzzzzz._ **

 

“Who the hell would be calling now?” Arthur yawned as he picked up his cell phone. It was only seven in the evening, but he and Alfred were taking a nap when his phone went off. He and Alfred had a “big day” after all, and they both needed to catch up on their rest after they had finally settled on the fifth room they looked at. It was on the third floor and was the largest in the house besides the master bedroom, fully set with a large nesting area, adjacent bathroom, and, by the non-existent knocks on their door, completely sound proof. Alfred directed a couple of Beta servants to move Arthur’s belonging into the room while he and his mate took a shower to… _clean up_ after their activities. Once the boxes and bags were placed in the room, Alfred pulled his little Omega back down onto the bed for some much-needed rest before getting too absorbed in unpacking.

Arthur had gotten a couple hours of rest in before his phone went off, successfully waking both he and Alfred. As the Omega answered his phone with a muttered hello, he was answered with was a quiet voice.

“ _Arthur?”_

“Niles?” Arthur was shocked. His brother was calling now of all times?

“ _Arthur, where are you?”_

 _“_ I’m with my _mate_ if you really must know. Now why is my ex- brother calling me?” Arthur growled into the phone.

“ _Arthur, please don’t be like that. You know it was Scot’s pride that said those things. We miss you and want you to come home,”_ Niles tried to reason.

“Arthur, who is it?” Alfred yawned as he reached for his glasses on the night stand before looking back at his mate.

Covering the speaker for the phone, Arthur turned to his Alpha. “It’s Niles. He says that my family wants me to come back home,” Arthur looked at Alfred with eyes large and scared, pleading for Alfred to help him.

Alfred stared at him for a while, thinking of what to say. He could sense that Arthur was scared; that much was obvious. But he could also sense the _hopefulness_ in Arthur that he could see his family once again and not have to be a disowned Omega. Alfred was annoyed if anything, but he didn’t want to dash his Omega’s hopes. That was not what an Alpha did to their mate. So with a deep breathe Alfred spoke. “Give me the phone; I want to talk to Allistor or your father.”

Arthur froze, afraid that Alfred was going to do something wrong. Was he going to start another fight with Scot? Or was he going to tell them to back off? Maybe he was going to claim that Arthur was his mate and pull a “protective Alpha” move? Arthur didn’t know. But he handed the phone off to Alfred either way, and soon the Alpha disappeared from site as he went into the bathroom, leaving Arthur alone on the bed.

After a few minutes, Alfred entered the bedroom once again, Arthur’s phone off and the call ended. He sat back on the bed and sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, setting Arthur’s phone on the bed next to him. He looked at the carpeted floor for a bit before turning to Arthur. He didn’t say anything. He just sat there staring into the Omega’s eyes.

“W-well? What did they say?” Arthur whispered as he tried to avert his eyes, but failed as he always went back to looking into those sky blue orbs that looked into his heart.

“Well, apparently your brother, Allistor, wants to do a proper family meeting where you will ask for permission to mate with me,” Alfred glanced at the phone in between himself and his little Omega. “Niles also said something about your mother needing to speak with you before we mated, but I told him that it was a little late for that. So he cussed me out,” Alfred spoke nonchalantly.

“Alfred,” Arthur gulped, “Please tell me you didn’t hang up on him for that.”

“No, I didn’t,” Alfred growled. “But I should have. Anyway he said that their family meeting was going to happen next Friday at 5 sharp at his house. He said that you knew the directions?”

Arthur nodded. “I do. But Alfred… what if they try to deny our mating?” The green eyed boy looked down at his lap and played with the sheet that covered his lap. “What if they say that I can’t mate with you?”

“I already told Niles that we mated. And even if you can’t smell it,” Alfred smirked and moved closer to nuzzle into the Omega’s neck, taking in a deep breath. “You smell way too much like _my_ mate for any Alpha to want to dare try breeding with you.”

Arthur shivered. Alfred could be so childish at times, but there was that undeniable Alpha prowess that he had that stirred his Omega need anytime he acted like a proper Alpha. Thankfully, for Arthur’s sake of sanity, Alfred didn’t show that side very often. But the Alpha did have a point, with the scenting and what not. It was true that Arthur himself could not smell Alfred’s scent on him, but he knew that it had to be there with as many times they had mated and Alfred knotted inside of him; thoroughly marking the Omega with a possessive “ _mine”_.

“So, did he tell you what my mother wanted to speak to me about?” Arthur inquired to get his mind to think of anything but sex.

“No, but he said it was important for you to know now that you’re planning on having children,” Alfred shrugged. “Any way, let’s go eat. I don’t know about you, but that _private conference_ made me pretty hungry.”

Arthur nodded before getting out of the bed. Alfred helped him into some at-home-clothes and they headed down to the kitchen. Alfred told him stories about the house as they went, but something kept bothering Arthur’s mind. His thoughts kept wandering to what Alfred had said about his mother. The Alpha had acted so… unbothered by the situation. Of course, Alfred probably planned on him and Arthur having five or six children, a reasonably sized family for an Alpha-Omega pair. But Arthur could not help but worry about if one of their children were born with AB blood. It was a realistic fear seeing as he was an AB Omega and Alfred was a pure A Alpha, leading to a twenty-five percent chance of their children being AB blood types. And that lead to another problem, one that hadn’t bothered Arthur openly since childhood: How was it even possible for his father, a Beta, and his mother, an Omega, capable of having an Alpha, two Betas, an Omega, and an AB Omega as children? 

His mother had just summed it up to Arthur and siblings being “miracles”, but Arthur knew better. He had the mental capability of an Alpha; such a childish explanation was not enough to satisfy his question. But every time he tried to bring it up his siblings would tune him out, his father would become sad, or his mother would just try to distract him with other things, so he decided to stop asking about it. But now that Arthur had to think of his future children, the question was back and would not leave until he receive a truthful explanation as to why his brothers and sister varied so much.

“Arthur?”

 The Omega’s head shot up at the sound of his mate’s voice. “Y-yes?”

“Is something wrong?” Alfred’s voice was drenched in worry, walking up the stairs to where Arthur was standing. When did he stop walking? The Alpha placed his hands on Arthur’s shoulders and looked into his eyes, as if they held the answer to his question. “Something is wrong. Arthur tell me what’s bothering you,” Alfred all but commanded.

“I-it’s nothing. I’m just getting worked up over nothing,” Arthur smiled and shifted his eyes.

“You’re lying,” Alfred stated in an all too serious voice that caused Arthur to shiver a bit. “Arthur, please tell me,” Alfred pleaded, causing Arthur to look up at the Alpha.

“It’s just… what if our children are… like me?” Arthur looked away again. He feared what Alfred would say in all honesty, if the Alpha would accept their children if they were AB like him.

“Well,” Alfred began, “Then they would be beautiful.”

Arthur felt his face heat up as he looked at Alfred incredulously. “What?”

“If our children are like you, then they would be beautiful. They would have emerald eyes and soft blonde hair. Sure, I think I’d prefer if our daughters had my eyebrows, but besides that,” He chuckled and brought Arthur close. “They would be perfect.”

Arthur didn’t even realize that he was crying until Alfred kissed his cheeks, wiping away the tears with his tongue. Alfred looked at him with a soft smile, rubbing the Omega’s cheek with his thumb.

“I-I meant, what if they-“ Arthur tried to speak through hiccupping sobs.

“I don’t care if they are Alphas, Betas, or even AB blood types. I know we can’t have any O blood type children, but that’s just fine. They will be wonderful, precious, and I will love them no matter what. They will be our children, and we will be their parents. And I don’t want anything other than for us to love them, and for them to love us. And I know that they will love their mother,” Alfred’s hands slips down to Arthur’s hips, using his thumbs to rub circles over the Omega’s pelvic area. “And who knows, maybe there is a little one already beginning to grow here. We’ll have to set up a doctor’s appointment soon to see if you’re pregnant or not,” Alfred kissed Arthur’s face.

The Omega nodded, enjoying the soft pressure on his hips. Alfred swept away his fears and tears with such beautiful words that the shorter boy thought the Alpha was not capable of conjuring, but happily accepted the words as a testament of them making the right choice in becoming mates.

“Now,” Alfred started up again. “Can we please go eat? I’m hungry and if you are pregnant then we need to plump you up a bit.”

“Excuse me? I think my mate needs to watch his own food intake if he’s going to keep up with his hyperactive children,” Arthur teased back, pinching Alfred’s mid-section lightly.

“That’s why I have to stock up now! I’ll be burning it all off chasing them around the house!” Alfred and Arthur both laughed as they entered into the kitchen, knowing that, for that moment, everything was going to be okay.


	25. Of Family Meetings and Truths

Within a time span of six months, Alfred F. Jones had learned a total of three important, life changing lessons. The first of which was that as soon as you seem to have figured out life in general, something has to come along to change your whole perspective. The second was that you should always knock before opening a door, or else you might discover something that you will regret later. And the final lesson being that no matter how strong you think your love for someone is, some challenges are too hard for that love to keep on living.

——————————-

“Alfred, we’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon,” Arthur chastised as he tried to tame his wild crop of hair. It was like the thing had a mind of its own half of the time and was set on driving the Omega and, in the past, his mother insane.

“I know that. I’m the one waiting here,” Alfred retorted as he stood by the door of their bedroom. Arthur shot the Alpha a glare before looking at his reflection again and sighing. He needed a haircut, and soon.

Setting down the brush, Arthur turned towards Alfred, a displeased look on his face. “Then I am ready to go,” Arthur stated as he walked past his mate into the hallway of their home of only a few days. It was a tad too large to let Arthur feel completely comfortable, but that would be expected of someone with Omega instincts, no matter how much they tried to fight them.

Omegas, in general, loved tight places. It let them see, control, and know everything that happened around them, such as when had young ones to take care of or needed to hide from a threat. Alphas, on the other hand, loved wide open spaces and owning as much land as possible. They could rest peacefully knowing that their mere presence was enough to protect their territory and those within. How the two Social Importance groups were ever deemed “made for one another”, Arthur would never know.  Granted though, the British teen did enjoy his mate’s capability of being able to calm his nerves.

Alfred watched Arthur walk by him, noticing how tense the other was, even through layers of sweaters and jackets. Of course the Omega was going to be tense; it was a much wanted, but equally feared, reunion of the Kirkland family. Following close behind his mate, Alfred kept a close eye on the way Arthur moved: slow, cautious, tiresome, and even fearful. Alfred had tried everything in the past week to keep Arthur from panicking about the situation too much, but between the rumors at their school beginning to stir and the way people stared at the Omega with questioning eyes. To Arthur, even a touch meant to be comforting was taken to be “too obsessive” or “too noticeable”. The young Alpha had never looked forward to leaving that school more than he did in the past five days.

Keeping their status a secret was mostly Arthur’s idea, but was enforced by Alfred’s family. There were enough rumors about Alfred’s temper going around the school as it was. And without a proper, formal Bonding Ceremony to initiate positive rumors instead of negative ones about a Dominance Fight, they had to keep their relationship private. While it was a good plan, it still irritated Alfred to no end.

He was an Alpha. A mighty, fearsome, protective Alpha with a mate.

By trait, he felt the need to let people know what he thought, what boundaries not to overstep, what he has claimed and marked as his. Therefore, not being able to even touch Arthur was driving the American Alpha up a wall with pent up frustration (of the normal and sexual kinds). He was forbidden to leave any sort of scent or mark on him on school nights, as Arthur was barely able to brush off the overabundance of the Alpha’s scent as them coming to and from school to his inquisitive classmates. 

Getting into his car, Alfred looked at Arthur’s nervous form before squeezing the Omega’s knee and giving him a comforting smile. Blushing a bit, Arthur looked away with a scowl, but his hand made its way to Alfred’s and gave it a light squeeze. They held hands for a few minutes in silence, feeling the tension dissipate from the air. Grinning in victory, Alfred retraced his hand to start the car and pull out of the driveway as Arthur told him “not to do such things in front of his family”. Their Bonding Ceremony was not going to happen for another month, and Alfred was certain that he would have to check himself into a mental institution long before then.

————————————-

“Turn left here,” Arthur directed. “… Alfred, don’t be rash.”

“Okay.”

“Now turn right… And don’t get into fights with Scot.”

“Got it.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Yes, _dear_.”

“And don’t-“

 _‘That does it!’_ Slamming on the breaks, Alfred brought the car to a complete halt. Looking at Arthur, he used every ounce of willpower he possessed _not_ to yell at his mate. It was simply moments like this that made Alfred question “why” he ever chose Arthur as a mate, but then was not a good time to be thinking such thoughts. They were about to be grilled to make sure that their bonding was a good choice (not like would have the option of backing out, but still).

“Alfred! What the hell do you think-“

“We’re here,” Alfred gave Arthur the best forced smile he could muster before getting out of the car. Well, the Alpha didn’t know for certain that they had arrived, but the cars in the driveway looked like Arthur’s parent’s and Allistor’s vehicles, so he assumed. But it was more to get Arthur to stop his nagging, more than anything. 

Apparently, Alfred observance had paid off as Arthur got out of the car without any protests. As the pair walked up to the door of the house, surprising to Alfred, Arthur quickly latched his hand around Alfred’s own, squeezing it nervously. Alfred gazed down at Arthur in shock. After all the lectures and being denied to show affection and-!

But Alfred couldn’t be mad at his mate. Arthur looked like a kitten trapped in a corner: tense, fur bristled, and on the defense.  If it was not for the current state of affair that they were in, Alfred would have thought Arthur to be cute. It took a while for Alfred to convince Arthur not to simply turn tail and run, assuring the Omega that his family wouldn’t reject him. The doorbell was rung and within a minute an all too familiar Alpha opened the door. If looks could kill, there would have been a two-man blood bath in that moment.

“Allistor,” Alfred tried to speak calmly.

The older Alpha said nothing, but moved to the side to let his guest, welcomed and unwelcomed, into his home. Arthur quickly entered the house, giving a relieved sigh at the warmth inside the home in comparison to the biting cold outside. He tugged at Alfred’s hand to move him away from the door, and away from Allistor, and quickly muttered that they should remove their shoes before going any further. Alfred hung his and Arthur’s coats inside a hallway closet that Allistor had pointed out as they progressed towards, what Alfred assumed, was a large office for the family meeting. As Allistor opened the door, Alfred felt that he was experiencing what some people would call “culture shock”.

In the room were a total of six people, all sitting on couches while chatting and eating food on paper plates, while a couple of speakers in the corners of the room played some sort of soft pop music. Mrs. Kirkland was speaking to a very pregnant Omega next to her, smiling while waving her hand around as she spoke. The younger Omega had long blonde hair that she kept in a thick braid, and blue eyes that seemed to hide behind a pair of fashionable glasses, giving her a sense of style and intelligence. She rubbed her swollen stomach almost methodically as she listen to the elder woman speak, looking as if in a daze of sorts as she only nodded once or twice in response. The scent on her was so strong that Alfred, who was across the room, could easily tell that she was carrying Allistor’s child. Something about her seemed familiar to the younger Alpha, but he didn’t dwell on it much.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kirkland sat between two younger male Betas, all eating quietly as one of the Beta’s listened to, what Alfred assumed was, his mate. She spoke quietly, keeping anyone not on the couch from hearing her, and stopped to wait for some sort of reaction form the others before picking up where she left off. Everything in the room seemed in high spirits, from the people to the music, until Niles noticed his younger brother’s presence.

“Arthur,” Niles spoke softly and stood, gaining everyone else’s attention.

Mrs. Kirkland was the first on her feet after her son, nearly running towards Arthur to envelop him into her arms. The poor woman looked as if she was about to cry as she stroked the younger Omega’s hair, small shakes from quiet sobs racked her body. Alfred turned away from the scene, feeling as though he was intruding, and looked towards the rest of the family. However, no one would look at him; all of the Kirkland family members averted their eyes nervously.

Before Alfred could even try to understand what was happening, Allistor stepped forward. “Alright, the _guests of honor_ have arrived, so let’s start the meetin’.”

As if someone had flipped a switch, all family members were up on their feet (save for the pregnant Omega that was sitting with Mrs. Kirkland earlier) and started to clean up the room, turning the music off as well. Alfred tried to keeping himself from looking surprised, enforcing the front that he had created. Soon, the couches were all aligned so that they all faced towards the front of the room.  Arthur’s mother led both Alfred and Arthur to a vacant couch and sat them down on it, before returning to her previous position next to the pregnant Omega.

“That is Allistor’s mate,” Arthur whispered up to Alfred.

“W-what?” Alfred looked down at the smallest Kirkland with confusion.

“You were staring at her. I thought you were trying to see if she was available,” Arthur explained before looking towards the front of the room where Allistor stood in front of the fireplace; a small dusting of red on his cheeks.

“Arthur, are you jel-“ Before Alfred could finish, a loud, clearing cough sounded through the room that drew everyone’s attention to Allistor. The Alpha stood tall and stiff, giving off an air of defense and caution, as he looked at everyone in the room, especially Alfred.

“Now that we’re ready,” Allistor began, “let’s begin.”

The meeting was carried out similar to how the Jones’ family meetings were, much to Alfred’s relief. Following along, although not knowing exactly what Allistor was talking about when discussing ‘Old Business’, was easy enough for the young Alpha. There were a few debates here and there between the group of Betas and Allistor, and even Mrs. Kirkland would put her two cents in on certain topics, but other than that, Alfred found the slow, peaceful pace a nice change from his own family meetings. As the topic shifted from old business to new, Arthur squeezed Alfred’s hand, signaling to the Alpha that the time had come for Arthur to “ask for permission” to become Alfred’s mate.  

“Does anyone have any new business that they would like to bring to the floor?” Allistor asked, stifling a yawn.

Alfred looked at Arthur, expecting to see him with raging eyes and a scowl that would say “You can try to stop me, but you will not succeed”. But, when Arthur returned his glance, the Omega’s eyes were not just of fire and anger, but rather, they were a torrent of emotions that came and went just as quickly as cold winds that beat against the sides of the house.

“Anyone?” Allistor called, this time looking towards Arthur with a lifted brow.

In all honesty, Arthur wished that he did not have to request permission for something that everyone present already knew had happened. He did not want to have to ask Allistor, his _brother_ , for permission to mate. It was degrading. Everything about the setup of the meeting to having everyone present was pressuring on him, and everyone expected him to ask for acceptance on the next stage in his life. It wasn’t like he was asking his mother to go on a fieldtrip in elementary school. No, it was more like asking one’s master to pass them on to another master; an Alpha to an Alpha. It hurt and it made him angry.

Arthur felt eyes on him, waiting and wondering. Curse his instincts for family and security. If it had not been for those faulting features, Arthur was certain that he would not be in that house, with the people who willingly let him walk away and more importantly, let Allistor push him away. Yes, if it wasn’t for his accursed Omega instincts that need to be assured that he had somewhere to live and someone to protect him, he would not be back in the presence of this family. He hated these people, the people who abandoned him, left him all alone in the world. They weren’t “family”, they were-

“ _Arthur_ ,” a gentle voice rang out to Arthur’s ears and a light squeeze put a gentle pressure on his hand.

Turning his head to his left, Arthur caught the eyes of his mate. ‘ _Oh… that’s right…’_ Arthur suddenly felt shameful. True, his mother and father sat by and watched him leave, but he was not tossed into the winter winds and snow alone. No, he had his mate, his Alpha, his Alfred. He was there for Arthur when he turned his back on his home; he was there with warm arms that gave Arthur more comfort than any building could. And as much as Arthur, reluctantly, wanted to be accepted back into the Kirkland family, he knew Alfred wanted to be accepted as mates. There had already been so much abnormality in their lives up to that point that a little stabilization of the “socially accepted” sounded like a light house when out on rough seas.

“I do,” Arthur stated as he rose, letting go of Alfred’s hand in the process. Arthur knew that despite his feelings on what he was forcing himself to do, it needed to be done. It needed to happen not only for him to reconcile with his past family, but to also pave the way for present and future family. “I have come to this family, the Kirkland family, to request your blessings to be Bound to my mate, Alfred Jones.”

—————————————

 _‘Really, the wording that Arthur had used wasn’t exactly appropriate, but I can’t see why Allistor had to get so worked up,’_ Alfred sighed. The young Alpha was currently seated with Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland in the kitchen of Allistor’s house, half-listening to the woman rant about how ridiculous her sons were. Alfred was offered (commanded) to relocate to a “quieter environment” when the situation that was the Kirkland family meeting got out of control.

As soon as Arthur had asked for the family blessing, everyone went silent in shock; wide eyes and dropped jaws were all that Arthur had gotten in return to his request. Apparently, Niles had “ _forgotten”_ to inform the rest of the family of Arthur and Alfred’s current mating status, thus throwing the whole family into a tizzle of questions and cussing. One thing led to another and soon, Alfred was trying to pry his mate off of his eldest brother while keeping said Alpha and Arthur’s oldest Beta brother from punching him in the face for “defiling their wee lamb of a brother” or something of that sort. After finally getting Arthur away from Allistor and Allistor’s mate calming him down a bit, the two Kirklands decided to have a private meeting to discuss Arthur’s request.

Alfred sighed once again in frustration. It was true that becoming mates without a proper blessing was not exactly the best choice that he and Arthur could have made. But teenagers and hormones have never exactly worked together for the best outcome; especially combined with Heat pheromones. So they were mates, not bonded mates, but mates nonetheless. Alfred had done everything he believed an Alpha should do for their mate: provide a home for them, care for them, and give them financial stability. Of course, they were still relying on Alfred’s family for the first and last things, but Arthur seemed happy with their situation. So as long as Arthur was happy, Alfred was happy.

‘ _Happy Omega, Happy Home,’_ Alfred shook his head with a small smile. He watched as Mrs. Kirkland pouted at her indifferent husband who, Alfred was relatively sure, was simply hiding his own confusion and anger at the situation. After all, who wouldn’t be at least somewhat upset at the fact that their child had become mates with a near stranger without informing them? Alfred was just waiting for the day that Mr. Kirkland would take him to the side and take out that pent up stress on him for all the drama that he had caused for the man’s Omega son and family.

It was almost an hour before Arthur and Allistor rejoined their other family members, grimace evident on both of their features. Neither looked at the other as they entered, instead opting to join their respected mates without saying a word to either. Alfred stood up from his chair, offering it to Arthur who accepted it silently.

“Well?” Niles was the first to speak up, asking for the information that everyone in the room quietly wondered themselves.

Arthur’s eyes shifted slightly towards Allistor who sat on the other side of the room, refusing to say anything till the elder brother did. Allistor returned the glare, however instead of being bull headed like the youngest Kirkland, he decided it would be best to end the tension.

“Arthur, after careful consideration, has been allowed to enter back into the family,” Allistor spoke calmly and methodically.

Silence came over the group once again, but Alfred quickly broke it, “That’s great!” Alfred laughed as he hugged Arthur, much to the smaller blonde’s dismay.

“However,” Allistor spoke once again as he stood to walk over to Alfred. “Since ya two are not officially Bonded, Arthur will have to move back into our parent’s house till the ceremony.”

“W-what?” Alfred looked at Arthur with disbelieving eyes.

Arthur looked away from his mate. “It’s only proper… and it would be for less than a month,” The Omega tried to reason, more with himself than with his mate. It was true, unbounded pairs living together was a subject that most people frowned upon, almost as much as those that become mates before being bound.

“Oh that is wonderful!” Mrs. Kirkland cried as she ran to her youngest son. “Now we can make sure that you’re taking all the right vitamins and foods and-“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Mrs. Kirkland, what are you talking about?” Alfred asked as he pulled Arthur closer to him and away from the overzealous woman. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Alfred as if he had just asked what air was. The looks were uncomfortable and Alfred felt like an idiot for whatever reason. However, by the confusion in Arthur’s face that matched his own, the young mates needed some answers to this mystery that everyone else in the room seemed to be in on.

“Why… Alfred was it?” A soft voice rang out, some sort of accent following it gracefully. Both Alfred and Arthur turned their attention to Allistor’s mate who, with said Alpha’s help, had risen to her feet. “Did you not say that you two were already mates?”

Both nodded in response, Arthur squeezing Alfred’s hand that was hidden by their pressing bodies.

She smiled gently at the pair. “Well then, would that not mean that Arthur may be pregnant?”

Realization as to what everyone was talking about struck the Alpha-Omega pair in the form of wide eyes and blushing cheeks. The chance of Arthur already being pregnant had already crossed their minds and they had even talked about it. But, it felt as if they hadn’t thought about it _enough_ since Arthur’s mother had brought up that Arthur needed to watch his health.

“Have ye gone to see a doctor yet?” Allistor asked half-heartedly.

“No…” Arthur responded.

“Then you don’t know if yer pregnant?”

Arthur looked down at the floor. He felt shameful, but as to why, he could only blame those blasted Omega hormones once again. Slowly shaking his head, Arthur looked at Alfred for an answer, but his mother beat his mate to it.

“Then you should set up an appointment!” Mrs. Kirkland sang as she captured both Alfred and Arthur in an embrace. “Oh, I know! I’ll call your cousin! He’s a gynecologist and an obstetrician. And, as I heard from his mother, he’s studying pediatrics now as well!” Her words hit the new mates at a hundred miles per hour, only catching a few words between the two of them.

The atmosphere seemed to lift after Alfred and Arthur came to a compromise with the rest of the Kirkland family. The deal was that Alfred would be allowed to stay at Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland’s house on the weekends leading up to the Bonding Ceremony _if_ Arthur was found to be pregnant. Children of Omegas that were in the womb had a tendency to wreak havoc on their mother’s body when they could not sense their father’s presence after long periods of time. So to keep both the possible-fetus and Arthur safe, they all decided that weekend stays would be for the best if the situation called for it. If not, then Alfred would only be allowed to see Arthur outside of school on chaperoned dates or stay at the Kirkland household till ten at night.

After the meeting was (finally) adjourned, Allistor and his mate (who Alfred later discovered was named Louise) called everyone to the dining room for dinner. Everything went perfectly, or as perfectly as dinner could go when involving four of the five Kirkland children. However, as the meal seemed to reach its peak with the main course, Allistor looked over at his parent’s expectantly, motioning towards Arthur with small, but noticeable, cock of his head. None of this went unnoticed by the AB Omega, who lifted an eyebrow at his brother and parents, but said nothing about their behaviour. He figured that he would discover whatever they were thinking about soon enough.

Time seemed to fly by as the family laughed and joked as if nothing had ever happened, and soon enough, people were shoving off to head home. Alfred had convinced Arthur’s parents to let Arthur stay one more night at his home so that they could pack a few things for Arthur to take home in the morning. The two were about to go for their coats until Mr. Kirkland caught their attention. Mr. Kirkland was a quiet man, keeping to himself most of the time, letting his wife do most of the talking for the two of them when in company. So, when the man did speak, it caught most people off guard.

“Alfred, Arthur, we would like to have a word with you two,” The man spoke slowly and clearly as he stood next to his wife and their eldest son on the other side of her. Alfred and Arthur looked at each other before nodding in slight suspicion towards the others, then following them into Allistor’s office.

“So, what did you need to talk to us about? I thought we ironed out everything regarding Arthur moving back into your house for the next month,” Alfred spoke as he motioned to let Arthur and his family sit in the only four chairs in the room. Alfred took his own position behind Arthur’s chair as he waited for an answer.

“We did. But, there is another matter which we have to address,” Allistor explained as he sat behind his desk facing the others. “Especially now that Arthur might already be pregnant,” Allistor’s eyes hardened at Alfred as he spoke.

“You know, you don’t have to glare at me. I get that you don’t like me,” Alfred puffed his cheeks. “But seriously, what is wrong? Is there some sort of family curse that we need to know about,” Alfred jokingly laughed.

“If only it was that easy to explain,” Mr. Kirkland spoke up, shaking his head.

Arthur looked at his father and then his mother, a worried look in his eyes. He knew that family meetings like this one were not for merely for planning an outing, no, they were for serious business. “So, what is it then?” Arthur finally asked as he looked at his mother, who was gazing off elsewhere. Allistor and his father looked at each other, wondering who would be the first to speak to the mates.

“Well, it is more like we need to tell you a story, son,” the eldest Kirkland spoke first. “It’s about you and your brother, Allistor,” The Alpha of topic adverted his eyes to the right, not wishing to see Arthur’s own eyes staring into his.

“Does it have to do with me being an AB Omega?” Arthur asked with a stony face.

The question seemed to snap Mrs. Kirkland out of her trance, “You knew?”

“Of course. It’s pretty obvious that an Omega and a Beta cannot have an Alpha child nor someone with an AB blood type biologically,” Arthur explained, closing his eyes to keep himself from seeing his mother’s look of betrayal. He could feel Alfred’s hand on his shoulder, anchoring him to the reality that was happening around him.

Once again, the room fell into silence, eyes shifting to and fro behind fluttering eye lids were the only movements made. Arthur could hear someone’s breathing, or at least he thought he could. It was ragged, yet deep, nervous but even, heavy but weightless… And it burdened his own lungs. He tried to stop his breathing form being so loud; closing his mouth, slowing the oxygen going in and out of his nostrils. But, the more he did this, the louder it became, more uneven and desperate. He felt eyes watching him, judging him, shunning him. He didn’t want to look at them. He didn’t want to know what they looked like. He didn’t want to know-

A hard squeeze to his shoulder brought Arthur back to the present. Looking up, Arthur was met with Alfred’s worried blue eyes. Even though he knew he should be paying attention, Arthur couldn’t help but think that only if those eyes were windows that he could open to the real sky and fly away. The young Omega didn’t want to be in the stuffy, dark, smothering room anymore. He was scared, but he needed the door to the outside to t be open. He needed to see the sky for what it was. He needed to know himself for what he truly was.

“Arthur?” Alfred called to him, sounding so distant yet as if he was right next to him. “Are you alright?”

It took a few seconds for Arthur to realize that Alfred was speaking to him. “Yes, Alfred, I’m fine,” Arthur responded with a gentle smile and a light pat to Alfred’s hand. Yes, he was fine; as long as Alfred was his sky. But the lock was still placed tightly on the windows, put there to protect himself from looking eyes and airless spaces. “So, what is the story?”

Mr. Kirkland let out a small sigh, “I suppose it would be best for me to tell you, since it involved my family,” He looked at his wife, who nodded in agreement, and then at Allistor who only looked down at his desk with dazed eyes.

“As you know, the Kirkland family in my generation had no Alphas to lead and keep us together. So, when my father died, we all agreed to try and keep the family ties as strong as ever. My oldest brother, whom you are named after Arthur, became a type of Family Head for us and made sure to have family meetings every month. Soon, my brother became mate to a young Alpha woman. She was very beautiful, with dark red hair and brownish-green eyes that reminded me of my mother- but I am getting off-course.

“They were Bonded, and a year later, Allyson, my brother’s mate, ended up pregnant. However, she became very ill during the cold months and, because of this illness, she ended up losing the baby. Needless to say, the whole family was heartbroken.

“A few years went by and your mother and I were Bonded. We followed proper tradition, but after our first week, we were not able to conceive. Of course we were disappointed but, with me being a Beta, it wasn’t exactly surprising. We planned on trying again, but a month after we received the negative results, my brother came to us,” Mr. Kirkland paused to look at everyone’s faces. Allistor still did not look like he was paying attention and Mrs. Kirkland wore a sad smile on her face, but Alfred and Arthur looked at him with interest. He smiled slightly at the memory before continuing.

“He and his mate had been trying for children for years then, but each time ended in miscarriage. The poor woman was, quite literally, going insane. So, my brother got one his knees and _begged_ your mother, my mate, to be a surrogate mother for him and his distraught mate. After some careful pondering and discussion, of course, we decided to help my brother and sister-in-law. Soon after consulting with a doctor, who later retrieved a fertilized egg from Allyson, your mother became a surrogate mother for their child. Both Arthur and Allyson helped in every way possible during the pregnancy, even going to the, back then, mandatory birthing and child raising classes with us. The baby was born healthy and safely, causing everyone to be overjoyed, and caused us to want our own children even more,” Mr. Kirkland smiled and Mrs. Kirkland who had small tears of the joy form the fond memory forming in the corners of her eyes.

“So we did. And we were all one big happy family, who with time just became larger and larger. Then, we discovered that Allyson had conceived another child and we were all so happy until a month into it. She began to nightmares of miscarrying her baby and refused to sleep in fear of the dreams, which put the baby at even more risk. So, after seeking out the best doctor they could find, my brother and Allyson approached us once again to ask us if your mother would be willing to have the baby grow inside of her, being a surrogate mother once again. She agreed and the risky procedure of removing the fetus from Allyson and transplanting in your mother’s womb was successfully done.

“It honestly was the most happy my life had ever been, with my family and my brother’s own. However, that happiness was short lived when we got the news that changed our lives forever,” Mr. Kirkland stopped, his voice beginning to break. The poor man looked as if he was on the verge of tears, shaking his head pitifully, unable to continue the story. Allistor gazed over at the man and gave a reluctant sigh.

Allistor turned to Alfred and Arthur who looked at him in confusion before Allistor picked up where his father had left off.  “It was only a few weeks before the baby was due. The police came knockin’ on the door early in the mornin’, telling us that both Arthur and Allyson had been rushed to the hospital. We all climbed into the car and rushed over as quickly as possible. The nurses showed us all to the room that both were occupying, and the scene was far from welcomin’. Both were hooked up to different tubes and had bandages that were soaked in blood… they were a mess.

“According to the doctors, they were on their way home for pickin’ out some more baby things when they were mugged. No one really knew what happened during the muggin’, but from the looks of it, neither went down without a fight. They both suffered from internal bleeding and… and within an hour, both were gone. The doctors tried to save ‘em, but… they died.”

Alfred and Arthur just stared at Allistor, one in confusion and the other in slight distraught. The older Alpha looked away, not being able to meet his youngest brother’s eyes without old feelings rising up inside of him once more.

“But what happened after that?” Alfred spoke up. He sounded like a child wrapped up in a fairy tale story, one that was not quite satisfied with the ending that he just heard.

“Well,” Allistor began once again. “The baby was born and the parents were laid to rest with the rest of the Kirkland family in England. After that, both children were adopted by their god parents who happened to be Arthur’s brother and their surrogate mother,” Allistor gave a sad smile towards Mrs. Kirkland who remained silent still. Allistor looked at Arthur once more, “And I believe you understand what that means, don’t you, Arthur? Does that answer your question?”

Arthur swallowed dryly, not even knowing that the air had been trapped in his throat. ‘ _No… No…’_ Arthur lowered his head into his hands. “…Yes… But, does that mean that…”

“You and I are full blooded brothers,” Allistor stated as he stood and walked over to Arthur. “But, Arthur, ye have to understand one thing: Even though Mom and Dad aren’t our actual parents, they have put as much love into raising us as they have for Niles, Eric, or Elise. Our parents didn’t raise you, and I only knew them for a few years, but they gave us the opportunity to live, just as much as Mom did in giving birth to us. I know that this is hard for you to take,” Allistor knelt down so that he could take Arthur’s face in his hands, lifting it up so that they were eye level. “And I know, I really do, so Arthur don’t cry.”

Since when did he start to cry? Arthur jolted a bit as he felt the warmth running down his cheeks, quickly bringing his hands up to rub the tears away.  “I-I’m not crying!”

“Don’t be such a hard-headed fool,” Allistor barked back, but there was no bite in it. “I even cry when I think back to that night, or the morning that you were born. But ye have known for a while, haven’t you, that we were different from the others? Especially you,” Allistor smiled and rubbed away the rest of his brother’s tears.

Alfred watched the family moment with a smile, reserving his words for his mind only. He was still slightly confused as to all the information that was just given to both him and Arthur, but it explained a lot. The Alpha then observed as Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland embraced their sons in a family hug, and all the tears that followed the touching moment. It was something that Alfred felt a twinge of jealousy, but he pushed it away before it could grow.

Soon afterwards, Alfred was driving him and Arthur back to their home. He couldn’t help but think about Arthur leaving him soon, but at the same time he was excited to learn if Arthur was pregnant or not. The idea just made him feel so giddy and excited; he had to suppress an absolutely manly giggle. However, a soft, almost quiet sound caught his attention.

“Arthur?”

The Omega jumped a bit, and Alfred could hearing the soft sniffling that same from Arthur. “Y-yes?”

Alfred glanced over at Arthur and gave him a soft smile before reaching over, squeezing and rubbing Arthur’s knee and thigh. “You know that you’re still you right? Still my Arthur that I love?”

Green and red eyes looked at Alfred through the darkness. He nodded his head slightly, but the disbelief was still prominent in his scent.

“…How about,” Alfred started to catch Arthur’s attention before he drifted off again. “When we get home, I show you just how much I love you?” Alfred grinned as his hand crawled up towards Arthur’s crotch. He glanced at Arthur again who’s blush glowed in the night before feeling his hand getting slapped away.

“If you mean cuddling then yes,” Arthur scolded lightly.

“What? Why not-“

“Because if I am pregnant then I don’t want taking any risks with the baby; especially if my mother had problems conceiving and carrying,” Arthur reasoned.

Alfred thought on his mate’s words for a bit before smiling, “Cuddling it is then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up:
> 
> This is the last pre-written chapter form before the story got deleted off of fanfiction.net. Because of this, I want to update all my other stories before writing the next chapter of "Of Social Importance". I'm already half way done with the next chapter of "Come Full Circle" and I want to get out the next chapter of "Stockholm, Born and Raised" soon as well. So, I guess what I am trying to say is that it may be awhile before I update this story again. Although, I have already have a couple pages of the next chapter already done, so it shouldn't be too long (it just depends on the other stories). 
> 
> Anyway, thank you to everyone that has read, left kudos, bookmarked, and commented on this story! I really do appreciate it!


	26. Of the OBGYN and Pre-Bonding Fights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. So, I am really sorry to everyone for having to wait for this, but I've had a lot going on. I moved out of my parent's house (though, I'll be back in the summer) and transferred to a University about four hours away from home. Between moving, transferring (SO MUCH PAPERWORK), and not actually have written a new chapter in almost a year, I have had little to no time. But now that everything has calmed down, I give you the next and NEWEST chapter of OSI.
> 
> PS: I was getting messages from people begging me to update, so this is the un-beta read version. Once my beta reader gets to it, I'll post the official chapter (Please have patience with us! We're both in college!).

“Why is he comin’?”

“Because he is my mate,” Arthur stated, exasperated.

“Don’t ye think that it will look strange if you go into that office with ‘im if someone sees you?” Allistor drilled.

“One, I highly doubt anyone we know will drive _this far_ for anything. And two, we are going to be bound in less than a month now, so get used to him being around,” Arthur glared at his brother from the front passenger side seat of Alfred’s car.

 Arthur had never felt more uncomfortable than that morning, being in his soon-to-be mate’s car caught between said Alpha driving and his eldest Alpha brother, and equally hard-headed brother, who happened to hate each other. Allistor bickered with him and Alfred from the back seat of the car, which both Kirkland brothers agreed was a “death trap”, all the way to the appointment that would possibly change everyone’s lives. It was, in no way, a pleasant two hour long car ride to the Kirklands’ cousin’s OB/GYN office a few cities from their town; but anything to convince Mrs. Kirkland that they were going to see a “reliable” doctor.

_‘’Peace keeping’ should be a quality that someone should be able to put on a job resume,’_ Arthur thought as he squeezed Alfred’s hand to keep his Alpha mate’s attention away from his brother and on the road ahead of them.

Allistor directed Alfred turn by turn, in between complaints about the younger Alpha’s driving. Arthur sighed for the umpteenth time that morning as the car finally went quiet as Alfred pulled the key from the ignition. The group climbed out of the car and took in the _modern_ design of the building. From the sharp angles and almost all glass walls, the building looked like it belonged on some alien planet as a temple or castle of some sort. After staring at the modern marvel in front of them, Allistor walked past the other two. He headed for the building, climbing up one of the many flights of stairs that led to all sorts of offices within.

“Come on ye two. The appointment is at ten sharp, so you’ve got fifteen minutes to get in there,” Allistor barked as he stopped at the top of the stairs, in front of the main entrance. The mated pair quickly followed the red-head, not knowing which office they needed to go to.

Walking into the structure, it was clear that the front was not just some sort of, well, “front”. From the metallic, almost chrome, walls to the tile and glass floor that doubled as a fish tank, the whole place looked like it belonged three hundred years into the future. The water below the three guest shined blue against the walls where the sun ricocheted off of the water, white lines curving and cutting through the azure colours.  The tank was circular at the center of the room with four river-like paths coming off of it that led under the glass walls of the structure and to four ponds outside of the building. It was quite a sight to behold for someone not used to the eccentric styles of modern art.

Alfred paused for a moment, noting the design and doing a small hop over the glass of the tunnels, as if afraid that the clear material would break under his weight and quickly caught up with Allistor. Arthur, however, stopped to take in the sight of all the water creatures, especially a purplish-green fish that had caught his eye. It’s scales gleamed in the light that filtered through the building from the fragile ceiling and walls surrounding them. But something was strange about the fish, something wonderfully intriguing that had the Omega bending over to get a closer look. On the fish, clinging to it with what seemed to be tiny mouths, were a set of smaller fish identical to the one they were latched onto. They blended into the larger fish’s scales perfectly, the only way of noticing them were from the small bumps along the fish’s body that were their bodies. Arthur couldn’t help but smile at first at how the mother fish, or so he assumed it was the mother of the smaller fish, swam in such a way that it allowed its babies to swish back and forth slightly, but still remained attached.

The smile soon fell however, as Arthur noticed one little fish was not attached to the mother’s body but, rather, its tail. As the tail swished back and forth with great effort to propel the mother forward, Arthur’s heart began to race. Would the little one fall off? Was it okay? Didn’t the mother know what it was doing to its own baby?

Then it happened.

As the tail gave a particularly strong slap against the surrounding fluid, the tiny fish was flung off of the tail, landing a few inches away. The British Omega watched with wide eyes as the little fish floated down to the bottom of the tank, onto the rocks and sand that were supposed to give it a “natural” feel.  It landed less than a foot away from where Arthur stood above the only world that small creature ever knew, and the young man could not bring himself to look away. He didn’t look to where the larger fish had swam off to, he couldn’t even if he wanted to; the image in front of him was shocking, to the point where he dropped to his knees to get a better look at the small fish. Eyes only widened even further as Arthur came to the realization that the tiny fish was dead.

It had to have been dead for a while if the pale colour of its scales, which had blended in with its mother’s tail colour, was anything to go by. The whole scene, only happening within a span of a few minutes, horrified the AB Omega. How could someone, even _something,_ do such a thing to their own child? Yes it was dead, but to just leave it to the side? There were no predators, to threats, so why?

“Arthur?”

The Omega’s head snapped up, eyes still wide in shock, to look at Alfred. The Alpha hovered over him with his brow scrunched and sky eyes swirling with confusion.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Alfred’s voice was low and hushed, giving a reverent feel. His blue eyes followed Arthur’s own as the Omega looked down into the tank right below them. The smaller blonde pointed to the small, unmoving body of a fish.

“It’s dead,” Arthur whispered, “It’s dead and its mother just tossed it to the side. Even if it was dead before… why would it do that? I don’t understand,” Arthur felt clear liquid poking at his eyes, threatening to fall onto the glass below.

Alfred looked at Arthur in disbelief at first, not understanding why the Omega was getting so worked up over a fish of all things, but he knew that the smaller male could be overly emotional at times. He looked up towards Allistor on the top of the stairs, who gestured to Arthur, asking ‘what’s going on?’. Alfred shrugged before turning back to Arthur. He gently tugged at the Omega’s arm to help him back on his feet before embracing him in arms and warm kisses. He rubbed the small droplets in the corners of Arthur’s eyes away with his thumbs before cupping the Omega’s face in his hands.

“It’s okay, she just didn’t realize it. Fish don’t have the sense of mourning or love like we do. Now, come on, let’s go see about a baby that will be loved more than any fish could be,” Alfred comforted his mate as he stepped to the Omega’s side to guide him up the stairs with one arm wrapped around said Omega’s shoulders. His tactics seemed to work as Arthur smiled slightly and picked up his own pace, and Alfred returned the smile. The Alpha, however, could not bring himself to tell Arthur that the “baby fish” looked more like a type of parasite.

Walking into the front room of the office made one feel as if they had just passed through a teleportation machine of some sort. The walls were a bright yellow with pictures of pregnant people, mothers and children, and complete families of mates and their children of various ages. A complete contrast to the cold, grey or glass angled walls of the encompassing building.

One picture in particular caught Alfred’s eye. It was smaller than the others, but looked the most interesting, with two boys of similar ages and a baby in pink (which Alfred assumed was a little girl) sitting on a blue couch in what looked like a hospital room. It looked far from professional, but the boys’ smiles were the most genuine out of any of the other pictures in the room. One boy had strawberry blonde hair with a mischievous smirk while the other boy had more gold coloured hair and thick eye brows. The baby had a tuff of platinum blonde hair that almost looked silver and pink, veiny skin, her eyes closed as if she was asleep between the two boys.

A loud, echoing “hello” pulled the Alpha from his analytical thoughts and turned his attention to the fact that Arthur, Allistor, and himself were the only people present in the room. Not even a receptionist was there to greet them in the cheerful looking office.

“Are you sure today is the day?” Allistor asked a loud as he watched his younger brother ring the bell on the desk a few more times than necessary.

“Positive. Besides, even if it wasn’t, the door wouldn’t have been unlocked if they were closed,” Arthur reasons and he looks over the counter of the receptionist area. He let out a disgruntled sigh before standing up straight and looking around the room. “I wonder if they left for lunch.”

Alfred watched the siblings search the room up and down for anyone that could help them. A faint noise caught the Alpha’s attention, but being seeing how the brothers were now bickering once again, Alfred quietly disappeared behind a door leading to a small hallway. The path had many other doors alongside it, most closed, but others slightly ajar to show examining tables and stirrups in each one. Alfred ignored the mental images of what happened on those tables in favor of another noise. It was muffled, but sounded like someone calling out in pain.

Running to the room that the noises were coming from, Alfred threw open the door without thinking; something he would soon come to regret.

The room was simple, with a book case in the corner, matching desk in the middle of the room with two matching chairs in front of it and a large black chair behind it. The carpet was a crème sort of beige and matched the curtains to a large window behind the desk. There were pictures on the walls, ranging from family photos to artist illustrations of reproductive organs , and various framed documentation needed to be an Obstetrician-gynecologist.  However, all sense of surroundings was lost to the Alpha who just barged into the room, as he was his face could not decide to pale or flush.

On that big, black chair sat two men. Oh rather, one man sat in the chair while the other sat on his lap, _naked._ Luckily, the desk shielded Alfred’s eyes from anything too revealing. Both were facing the door, movements halting as Alfred rushed into the room. The smaller man’s eyes widened significantly and his face turned a bright red before letting out a shriek of embarrassment.

* * *

Awkward tension filled the room like the everlasting blush on Alfred’s face as everyone met in one of the many consultation rooms. Arthur, Allistor, and Alfred sat on one side of the desk, with the Alpha and Omega pair that Alfred had caught in the middle of some “unmentionable” act sat on the other side. Alfred and the Omega on the other side were such a shade of red that they put lobsters to shame, and they refused to look anyone else in the eyes. However, the Omega’s partner seemed unfazed, though he glared at the group with cold eyes.

“So,” Allistor began, trying to break the silence, but failed as it came back with twice the force.

After minutes dredged on by, Arthur felt the reason for their visit had been forgotten. “…I believe we had an appointment today?” He finally began, clearing his throat afterwards.

The Alpha sitting across from him nodded, but just as he was about to speak, it was obvious that the tension of the unspoken meeting was getting too much for Alfred. The Alpha finally looked the doctor in the eye, still slightly red in the face, and stated quite simply, “You do realize that was highly unsanitary, what you were doing, right?”

The other Alpha stared back, making Alfred a bit uncomfortable at his unemotional response. However, the Omega looked as if he was about to melt with how embarrassed he was. Quickly, sensing his mate’s distress, the Alpha finally spoke, “We make s’re to clean up aft’r.”

Needless to say, the appointment started off as anything other than smooth. However, after getting his blush to leave his face, Alfred was properly introduced to Arthur’s and Allistor’s cousin and his mate.

“This is Berwald,” Arthur gestured to the Alpha across the desk. “And his mate and assistant, Tinno,” He moved his hand towards the Omega, who smiled, cheeks still a tad pink. “Berwald is one of Allistor and my cousins,” Arthur then moved his hand towards Alfred. “And this is my mate, Alfred, whom I believe you’ve already been acquainted with.”

Berwald nodded as he stood to shake Alfred’s hand, who returned the gesture, though a bit hesitant. The man’s eyes were unreadable and intimidating, but his scent was kind and inviting. Alfred was torn between returning the hard look or not.

Soon, Arthur and Alfred were answering various questions about their relationship, such as when Arthur’s last heat ended and how long they had been sexually active. Before long, Arthur was asked to follow the other Omega, Tinno guiding him to a more sterile room for a blood test. This left the Alphas alone in the room, and in an awkward silence.

“So,” Alfred cleared his throat. “How long have you been in practice, Berwald?”

“’bout three years,” The other blonde responded, glancing at Alfred before looking back at the door. He seemed too entranced by the wooden barrier for Alfred to deem normal, but Allistor simply seemed to admire one of the pictures on the wall. A knot started to form in Alfred’s stomach, not handling the silence and blatant lack of interest in the room, making the Alpha pray to some higher power that his mate’s blood pumped a bit faster. Luckily, the two Omegas soon returned.

“It will take a few days to get the test back with definite results,” Tinno explained to the clientele. “If you would like, we can give you a call once they come in, that way you don’t have to drive so far.”

Nodding, Alfred looked towards the doctor. “Is that it for today, then?”

Berwald grunted in affirmation. “Tinno will c’ll you when we get the r’sults,” He then stood up and reached out his hand. “Th’nk you for comin’ in. We’ll see you next t’me.”

After a short farewell, and some casual promises of visiting the (as Alfred had deemed them) “odd” couple at their home, Alfred was back in the driver’s seat of the car. His smell radiated happiness and anxiety, more so than the pair of brothers, who shared silent glances and amused smiles on their way back home.

* * *

The brown leather of the couch squeaked in protest as Alfred flopped on to it. Smells of wood and tea leaves bombarded his senses, his eyes closed as if asleep to the rest of the world, but his mind was running a hundred miles per minute. A sudden weight on his lap caused Alfred to open one of his eyes to peer down at his mate.

Arthur’s eyes starred up at Alfred, having rested his head on the legs on his Alpha. “You look tired,” He spoke softly, reaching up to cup Alfred’s cheek, rubbing his thumb against the soft skin. “At least we didn’t have to move everything,” He mused as he looked up at the ceiling. “And,” he began as he looked at Alfred with smile that lit up his whole face. “We’ll be able to see each other on the weekends.”

Arthur’s smile was contagious just as his words were, as it inflicted Alfred’s own, his eyes squinting as they went from bored stones to twinkling gems. He reached his hand over and laid it on top of Arthur’s, over the Omega’s abdomen. “I hope your mom will have enough food to feed all three of us,” the Alpha teased as he bent over to kiss his mate.

It had only been a day since they received the phone call, but Alfred was already treating the baby as if it was already born. “Tinno said that the cravings don’t come until the end of the first month, so she should be safe for another week,” Arthur huffed with a smile, returning the kiss. His own hand went to Alfred’s, resting on top of the larger, before breaking the kiss. “Did you tell your family?”

“Of course!” Alfred gleamed. “We already decided that were going to change the bedroom near ours into a nursery. Though, I don’t know what we should do for colours…” Alfred looked at his mate with a lost look.

Arthur intertwined his and Alfred’s fingers as he thought about the statement. “Hmm… Well, yellow is a neutral colour. Oh, and green,” Arthur looked down at his and Alfred’s hands.

“But isn’t green a boy colour? What if the baby is a girl?” Alfred leaned back against the cushions of the couch. Arthur hummed in agreement and looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of what they should do.

“It will come to us, I’m sure. But for now,” Arthur began as he let go of Alfred’s hand and stood up, “I think we should unpack.”

Alfred chuckled. “As long as it doesn’t come to us when the baby is being born, then I’m alright with that,” Standing up, he followed Arthur up the stairs and to the Omega’s old bedroom.

The room looked just as it did when Alfred confessed to Arthur just a month before, though boxes now covered a good portion of the floor. While it was true that they did not have to move everything back over to Arthur’s parents’ house, Alfred still frowned at how much they did pack. It felt awkward, thinking about his mate’s absence for the next few weeks. But, a deal was a deal and now with Arthur’s pregnancy in everyone’s mind, Alfred would get to see the Omega more than when they were just at school.

Arthur sits down on his old bed and takes note how small the twin sized bed now seemed after sleeping on a queen sized bed for so long. “I forgot how cold this room can get,” Arthur stated with a shiver.

Alfred smiled at Arthur, moving towards him till he was on the bed and holding the Omega in his arms. “At least the snow melted this morning. Just make sure to keep warm, I won’t be here to do it for you,” Alfred teased.

“I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you,” Arthur retorted, turning his head away as Alfred tried to kiss his cheek. The Alpha pouted in response.

“I know, but I like helping you,” Alfred muttered as he buried his face into the crook of Arthur’s neck. “And now that we’re together, expecting a baby, and about to be bonded, I can’t help but worry about you,” he confessed, voice hushed as if someone was listening in on their conversation. “You are my mate after all.”

Arthur sighed helplessly. “I know, love. But I you know I am not the best at the ‘relying on my Alpha mate to do everything’ that comes with being an Omega. But, I do worry about you as well,” He smiled as he pulled away to look at Alfred with a gentle smile, pairs of lips brushing against each other. The return of pressure in the kiss was welcomed openly.

Quickly, whether it was due to their limited time together or the shifting hormones, the mates found themselves under the covers of the bed. Staying firm to the plan on not “shagging” (as Arthur had put it), the pair kept their activities rather mild with no penetration. However, they were a mated pair, young, adventurous and hormonal, which left them with little patience in their needs. They had tasted the beautiful essence of mating, leaving them unable to find comforting release without the other present. Thus, Arthur and Alfred took turns pleasuring each other, experimenting with how far their new boundaries would allow them. 

Their shared warmth, trapped under the thick and numerous blankets, fended off the cold as they recovered from their activities. Alfred’s breath came out in heavy pants, exhausted from the suspense and work his mate had put him through. Propping his elbow on his pillow, Arthur smirked down at his mate as his hand supported his head. “Come now, _poppet_ , I know you have better stamina then that.”

“Fuck you,” Alfred breathlessly retorted, to which Arthur merely smirked before leaning down to kiss him.

“You’ll have to wait until the little one is in their crib for us to do that,” Arthur teased lightly.

Calming his breathing, Alfred sighs and looks up at Arthur, “I suppose I can wait then,” a smile graced his lips.

* * *

Weeks passed and the cold whether rolled on. Alfred and Arthur had been separated for two weeks thus far, and they stole every chance to be in each other’s company. Their classmates quickly discovered Arthur’s “fragile” state, if not by scent then by Alfred announcing it to everyone. They were a happy couple for the most part, and everyone was happy for the fewer and much less violent fights between them.

“Are you sure that you do need my assistance?” Arthur inquired as Kiku and he walked down the stairway leading to the storage basement for the school.

“Yes, Arthur, I can grab a box or two on my own,” He gave a small smile as they reached the bottom step. “Though, I would have thought you to be Alfred today,” The Beta continued as he unlocked the old, wooden door to the storage room, dust and cobwebs lining the handle and small window frame.

Blood rushed to the Omega’s face at the mention of his mate. “We… had a slight argument yesterday,” His voice quieter than usual as he walked by the Beta, mindlessly looking at all the boxes and random items that had been collected in the room. It was almost like every toy and piece of clothing that had ever been lost had somehow found its way into the stale space of the room.

Kiku merely shook his head, “Was it about names?” The man started to shift through the boxes, mentally adding ‘ _again’._

Arthur shook his head. “No,” He stated as he picked up a box and moved it out of his way. “It was about the ceremony.”

Kiku paused for a moment. “I thought you already had everything planned. It is this coming weekend after all,” The Beta treaded lightly.

Arthur retorted with a small huff. “We _did_. But Alfred’s aunt and uncle keep trying to convince us to invite more people than we had planned,” A sigh escaped his lips. “But now Alfred is wanting to invite more people just to quell his family.”

“And you see a problem with this change?” Kiku risked asking as he lifted up one of the boxes that he needed.

“Of course!” Arthur barked. “They want us to invite mayors, business partners, and others that know nothing of Alfred and me! I know what they are plotting!” Arthur seethed as he found the other box and brought it over to the Beta.

“Oh?” Kiku looked up slightly to look at Arthur. “What are they ‘plotting’, Arthur?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They plan on exposing our status as mates! It would destroy Alfred’s name and the family name along with it if he still becomes Head Alpha!” Arthur’s voice slowly began to rise, now nearly shouting at his friend. The Japanese teenager merely picked up both boxes and motioned for Arthur to follow him out of the room.

“Did you speak to Alfred about this?” Kiku inquired as he locked the door, balancing the boxes between the wall and his hips.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Of course. That is why we had our ‘argument’,” The Omega began to walk back up the stairs, opening the door for Kiku once at the top. “I tried to tell him what they are planning, but he told me that I was, as he put it, ‘talking crazy’. I am not crazy! He is the crazy one for falling for such a thing! And stupid!” Arthur declared as they walked towards the Student Council office.

“I see,” Kiku murmured, hiding his amusement well as they entered the room. “Well, I hope that you two will come to an agreement soon. I already received my suit for the ceremony,” The Japanese Beta teased lightly.

Arthur merely looked away, suddenly feeling slightly ashamed. The fight had gotten him so wound up that he almost called the whole thing off. But, luckily, Alfred had decided to leave and go back home before they could really get into it. Kiku’s words made him feel selfish; they were too close to the ceremony to let something like this ruin it for everyone, especially themselves. Soon, the sounding of the bell told every student and staff member that formal classes were over for the day.

Alfred walked with Toris and Feliks, the Alpha oozing of irritation and frustration. It was Friday, which meant that Alfred had to take Arthur home and spend the night at the Kirkland household. But, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Arthur had called Niles to pick him up with the fight they had. It was a stupid reason that they had fought, at least to Alfred. Arthur had been convinced that his relatives were plotting against him, but (while it may have been plausible in any other case) Alfred was sure that they would at least have the decency to be respectful during the ceremony. But when he had tried to reason with the Englishman, he went on a tangent of how his family was out for them and wanted to ruin Alfred’s chances of becoming Head Alpha. Wanting neither of them to say something they would later regret, Alfred left the Kirkland house promptly.

Toris and Feliks bid Alfred farewell as they made their way to the other side of the parking lot. The Alpha sighed and scratched the back of his head, slowly making his way to his own car. Opening one eye, Alfred stopped.

There was Arthur, leaning against the passenger door, bound up in a thick jacket and scarf. His nose was red and his hands were hidden inside the long sleeves of the jacket, a small tremble could be seen running down the Omega’s body. Alfred couldn’t help but become concerned. “Arthur?”

The Omega’s head shot up to look at Alfred, his body tensing but standing up straight. His body language said that he not going to back down, but his eyes pleaded for Alfred to come to him. “Alfred… We need to talk.”

Alfred reluctantly nodded before moving towards his mate. “Can we get inside the car first? You look chilled,” Alfred unlocked the door and opened for the smaller blonde. Soon enough, both were inside the cold metal contraption with the heaters blasting air like little needles hitting their sensitive faces. They sat in silence for a time, trying to figure out who would be the first to speak or, rather, who would be the first to break.

It took courage, but the first words came from Arthur. “I think we need to come to a decision,” the Omega stated, leaving no room for argument.

Alfred nodded, “I agree.”

Then, despite their agreement, the silence quickly returned. They both turned to look out the windows of the car, which was difficult due to the white sheet that covered them, the heat differences between the inside of the car and the outside of the car too great. They waited and waited, but the quiet was louder than their ears could handle, so they turned to each other.

“I think you’re paranoid.”

“I think you are too trusting.”

The two stared at each other, glaring just enough to tell the other that they refused to back down. Finally, Arthur looked away. “Maybe we should just come to an agreement about this,” He looked back at his mate, who looked confused. “I mean to say, why don’t we come to a compromise?”

“What kind of compromise?” Alfred asked, his inner Alpha still not wanting to back down.

“Why don’t you give me all the names of the people they want to invite? I’ll go through them and pick out three or four that we can invite. Including their families, of course,” Arthur suggested. When Alfred failed to respond, Arthur bristled his shoulders again; he was prepared to knock some sense into his hard-headed mate if need be.

Alfred sighed. “I suppose we can do that,” He surrendered. The Alpha inside of him hated backing down, as it showed weakness, but he knew that Arthur would fight him tooth and nail over this. “But we go over the list together. I’m sure you know who most of the people are, but I don’t want you choosing someone off of what you’ve heard on tv.”

Arthur huffed, “I’m not a blind bat, Alfred. I know the illusions of this world,” He turned away before muttering, “…I suppose we can do it this weekend while you are over.”

Alfred grinned victoriously before starting up the car and pulling away. His right hand reached over to grasp Arthur’s as he looked ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, it's been almost a year since I had to write a new chapter (those that don't understand, just shoot me a message and I'll be glad to let you know the story). I would love to hear from everyone to let me know what felt off or didn't seem right. Once my beta reader gets through with it, I promise it will be much better, but I still love reading your reviews and criticism as well.


	27. Of Bad Weather and Last Minute Communication

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo.... I'm not dead! I've said this once before, a long, long time ago, but I don't ever plan on giving this story up. It may take me a while to finish it, but I will never abandon it. I love all the reviews and try to reply to them when I can! I have just finished my first semester in an actual University, which is also my first time away from home. I took 5 classes and passed with pretty decent grades, so I'm sorry if this is deterring my writing and creativity as well. Thank you to everyone that sticks with me!

His hands shook as he was given the bouquet of red and white roses and wild flowers. His mother and sister, who had flown in the week before for the ceremony, helped him touch up the powdery, sneeze-inducing makeup. It was too hot in the well-insulated house, too many bodies moving around and fawning over the Omega in white. He snorted at the thought, looking down at his ironically white Bonding wardrobe.

It was all for the act. Only those close enough to the Kirkland and/or Jones families knew of the true mating status of Arthur and Alfred. Not to mention that only those in the families knew of Arthur’s delicate state (or as Arthur’s mother put it, the “bitching state”). The mates had everything planned out: get Bonded, announce a week later that Arthur had went into a medically prescribed induced Heat, and then, a couple weeks after that, announce that Arthur was pregnant.

Arthur smiled at the thought, his hand going down to his abdomen. He knew he had to keep quiet about his state, but it did not mean that he could internally rejoice. The child was still small, still growing. But it was there. And that made the Omega mother glow in happiness.

“Arthur,” Mrs. Kirkland’s voice called him back to his present setting. “Ready to go?” She smiled at her youngest son. Arthur nodded and stood up as his mother hurried off to gather everyone else.

He took one last look at himself in the floor length mirror in his parent’s bedroom. It felt like he had become a clown. Between the makeup and overly gaudy outfit that his mother had chosen, barely giving Arthur a choice, he looked like a character in a play. He looked like a character of snow, coldness radiating his features of pale skin and bright, unblemished fabric that held tight to his body with little coat tails that swayed once they were no longer held up by the bustled fabric that accented his rather unimpressive backside. The black eyeliner, as thin as it was, stood out so much so that his eyes seemed to glow in anger, untrust, and protectiveness.  They reminded him of someone… someone he thought had left when Alfred took him away to that house and Hehewuti had told him to start acting like a proper Omega….

Oh… yes, there it was. There was Arthur, hidden under the makeup, costume, and painted eyes. There was the Arthur that had begun to grow more and more as his child grew… The Arthur that felt the need to protect, to fight, to love. There was the Arthur that Alfred had fallen for. The Arthur that constantly and willingly woke up in the middle of the night to eat foods to keep the little being with in him happy. The Arthur that was about to be bound to his father of his child, mate, and lover. Not the Arthur that had to smile at Alfred’s rude relatives, or keep silent during meetings.

Arthur blinked at his reflection. But was it a mask? Or was the past him a mask of new? Which one was the better Arthur? The other him, the one in the mirror, frowned. Was he frowning as well?

A sudden rush of nausea rushed through him. The baby apparently was not pleased with Arthur’s thoughts.

Arthur’s hand went back to his stomach and looked down at the Bonding ring that Alfred had gotten for him, smiling. He took a deep breath before turning away from the mirror and headed towards the door. A character. That is what he had to be, just for one more day. Arthur smiled as his feet touched the bottom of the stairs. Luckily, being an AB Omega had taught him how to be a wonderful actor.

* * *

 

Alfred wanted to kill someone. He had left for just an hour, going to get his tuxedo and make sure it fit him in all the right places. But when he had returned, the house of smiles and cheerful chatter had transformed into a place of cursing and gnashing teeth.

Servants stood against the walls, fearful of the way the Alpha children of Hehewutti were shouting at their Omega and Beta siblings. In between the two sides, on a large imported carpet that covered most of the polished wooden floor, was a spongey, white and gold mass that smelt sweet and light. At Alfred’s feet was a piece of a shattered silver heart that he and Arthur had chosen when they were designing their wedding cake.

“What the hell happened?” Alfred growled out through clenched teeth.

Both parties turned toward the young Alpha with wide, deer-ish eyes, their bickering and yelling ceasing. Alfred looked down at the piece of the cake topper at his feet, the small engraving of “-fred & Arthur Jon-“ on the silvery piece shining up at him. He picked it up and let out a shaky, suppressing sigh.

He couldn’t explode. Not there, not then. The guests would arrive at any moment, he couldn’t risk it. He had to at least look like he had everything under control. He had to have back up plans… Looking at the servants and his Uncles and Aunt, Alfred gave one more sigh, forcing himself to be as calm and even-tempered as possible.

“Are Mr. and Mrs. Laurinaitis here?” Alfred asked the servants, who nodded in response. “Very well,” Alfred walked up to his family. “I want you all to clean this up and send the rug to the cleaners. I’m going to go see if I can pull some strings to get another cake,” Alfred left without waiting for an answer.

The cake needed to be replaced, and fast. It didn’t need to be ready before the ceremony, but it had to be ready to be the center piece at the after party. Alfred’s mind sped up along with his pace as he walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. As he turned the corner, he felt another body collide with his, instinctively catching it from falling. Alfred looked down in surprise, but a smile soon broke out.

“Toris! Just the guy I need!” He cheered lightly as Toris regained his own balance.

“Hello, Alfred,” He smiled. “I suppose I should say congratulations. You know, just in case I don’t get a chance to see you later.”

Alfred’s smile dropped instantaneously. “Why wouldn’t I see you later? Are you going to be at the ceremony and party?”

“Well,” Toris gave his friend a small, apologetic smile, “We’re a little short staffed, so I offered to help with the food and servings. I’ll be able to join once everyone has eaten,” He explained with some sadness. “But that isn’t the point. You said you needed me for something?”

Alfred nodded. “My family… well, they destroyed the cake…”

Toris’ eyes widened, his brow furrowing in anger. “They did what?! My family worked all day yesterday on that cake!”

“I know,” Alfred said, his annoyance for his family’s insolence showing through his tone of voice. “I hate to ask you this but…“ Alfred’s voice drifted off, feeling too ashamed to ask his friend for his help again.

“We’ll have to go find my mom and dad first,” Toris said with a sigh. But he looked up and smiled at Alfred. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out one way or another.”

Alfred gave his friend a thankful nod of the head before following him down the hallway.

* * *

 

Getting out of the car, Arthur was tempted to kiss the ground. To hell with the white clothing! Even if they were covered by the thick coat which doubled in keeping him clean and keeping the cold air away from his sensitive body. His family was infuriating and overbearing, especially when special occasions came about that required everyone to “be on their best behaviour” or to “look their best”.

_“You are representing the whole family,” Allistor told him. Don’t make us look bad._

_“You need to make sure to smile and thank everyone for coming,” His mother reminded. Don’t be a snob._

_“Make sure not to drink too much. It’s unsightly for an Omega to behaviour outlandish,” Niles reprimanded. Don’t fuck up._

Wait… did they say all of that? Arthur shook his head. It was noisy in the car. He knew it was… or maybe it was too silent.

The Omega looked up at the house as his family started to get out of the car, a servant ready to valet the vehicle. The sky was beginning to turn a dark grey, but the weather forecast only predicted a few droplets of rain before it cleared up. He had been told that he was to go straight into the house and up to the room that he and Alfred had shared for a week almost a month prior.  He had to wait there until the ceremony was about to begin, much to his dismay. He and Alfred had not seen each other for the past week, being too busy and too hawked over to see each other.

Both families had agreed to try and keep as close as possible to tradition. While the couple were allowed to see each other for the couple of weeks prior to the bonding ceremony, Arthur’s mother thought that it would be “cute” for them to not see each other in private for a whole week. While she had thought it as sweet, Arthur felt it as torture in the physical and mental state. She called it a “yearning heart”, Arthur called bullocks.

The baby had gone on strike after the fourth day of Alfred’s absence. His morning sickness returned with vengeance and he could not stand the smell of cooking eggs. Berwald and Tinno had visited a couple days prior and told him that it was because of his own hormones were trying to adjust his body to deal without his mate. They reassured him that the baby was going to be fine, as well as himself. They even tried to convince him that this was a perfect time for Arthur try and form an attachment to the baby, talking and singing to it. Perhaps, they suggested, the baby just wanted to be reassured that Arthur was still there for them.

Arthur, on the other hand, was fairly convinced that it was just because the little brat was just out to get him.

Luckily, the excitement of the morning had kept him so busy that either his body didn’t have time to get sick, or his hormones told the baby that Alfred would be back soon. The little bugger was going to be a daddy’s boy/girl. Arthur smiled at this thought as his family ushered him into the house, that was warm and the scent familiar.

Though, Arthur did have to wonder: What happened to that hideous rug that used to cover the floor?

* * *

 

Arthur was in the house.

Toris nearly needed to lock Alfred out in the backyard to keep him from the Omega. But a quick reminder of the ruined cake and the limited amount of time had the Alpha back down to earth. Thankfully, Toris’ parents were able to contact extended family in other towns to come and help with gathering all the items needed for the finishing touches on the cake and reception room. Ravis, a small, shy Omega, had arrived with another cousin of Toris’, another Beta, Eduard. Alfred was amazed with their quick skills and connections with delivery services, Toris and his parents working diligently on baking as much chocolate cake as possible. The whole family nearly pushed him out of the room with silent shame in his own lack of such skills.

Alfred decided to go check on the arrangements and decorations in the main ball room. The decision as to the location of the ceremony was a quick and easy one due to the short notice and cold season. As Alfred entered the grand room, his shoulders fell. Everything was perfect.

The oak wood framed chairs with white cushions with baby blue ribbons tied behind them were aligned evenly from the main doorway to about three quarters into the room. A long piece of white satin shined under the crystal chandeliers as it divided the chairs into two even groups from the doors to the ceremony alter that was erected about five yards  from the front row of chairs. The alter was of wood with white candytuft flowers, Iceland poppies, and blue pansies woven into the arch. The white satin, that lead the Omega’s path to the alter, spread out under the arch way and pooled like ripples in water around the alter and out towards the seating. The dyed, polished wood patterns that made up the floor of the golden lit room shined brightly without a scratch as the afternoon sun shone through glass wall of windows. The same light danced upon the garden, the plants being covered during cold nights and having outdoor heaters to keep away the snow had kept the plants green and alive for the special day.

Alfred smiled in approval. He couldn’t wait for everyone to arrive. It would only be one step closer to when he and Arthur were going to become officially bonded. It was going to be perfect- just like how he described to Arthur that day a little over a month prior.

One by one, the guests arrived. Matthew and Gilbert arrived first, Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Antonio, their son, Francis, and Jeanne following close after. Kiku and Hercules with Yao and an Alpha named Ivan came soon after. One by one, friends, their families, and local Jones and Kirkland family members arrived. Alfred greeted his friends, introducing Berwald and Tinno and their family to everyone. Greeting his professors that were invited, Alfred felt more and more relaxed with each familiar face. The visiting families spoke and laughed with the Jones and Kirkland families as they began to take their seats. It was a happy and joyous scene.

Then, fate decided to take a hard left and crash and burn.

The wind began to pick up and the glass windows quickly became cold as the light pitter patter of rain started to become shooting pellets of water. The plants outside shook as the wind pushed them back and forth. Within an hour, calls started to flow in left and right, cell phones ringing non-stop.

The storm had formed randomly. The news networks quickly caught on, reporting on the sudden storm in near hysterics. They predicted that the water that was bombing the small city would soon become raging flakes of frozen water crystals.

Alfred quickly became depressed.

Hehewuti had her children scurrying off to go pick up distant relatives at the airport and to call those local friends that had not arrived yet to make sure they were alright. Allistor made sure that his family members were all accounted for before calling up those that they invited as guests, asking them where they were. In the end, many of the family friends cancelled, promising to send letters and gifts in the mail or would “try to make it later”, instead of risking their lives in the storm.

On the second floor of the house, Arthur was feeling uneasy. The storm shook the window in the room, causing the already nervous Omega to become anxious as the rain shot against the glass. The servants came in regularly to fetch him anything he wanted, but they couldn’t give him what he needed.

He needed his Alpha mate. He needed his Alfred F. Jones.

‘ _Oh, how big that boy’s head would grow if he heard that_ ,’ Arthur shook his head with a small smile. But it soon disappeared as he jumped at a loud clap of thunder. The Omega looked up at the window with wide eyes as he backed away from it. He wanted Alfred.

A knock at the door made him jump again, like a cat on alert. He turned around, ready to pounce. But his hair laid down softly as his older brother entered the room.

“Allistor?”

The red-head sighed in annoyance. “This storm is messing up everything,” He muttered out.

Arthur felt his heart sink. “Does this mean that we…?” He whispered, looking at his brother, his eyes reflecting a battle of hope and sadness within his body.

Allistor looked at his brother with an expectant gaze. “That depends on you,” He steps to the side of the open door. Behind him stood a familiar blonde that smiled at Arthur with reddened cheeks, his blue eyes gazing at Arthur as he entered the room. “I know it isn’t traditional, but you two need to decide on what we’re going to do. Ye got less than an hour before we’re supposed to start. I’ll let you two talk in private, but I’ll be right outside, so don’t try any funny business,” Allistor reminded them as he closed the door behind him.

As soon as the click of the door’s latch falling into the metal coated hole in the door frame echoed through the silent room, the mates latched onto each other in a stinging, heated kiss. Their arms were like heated coils, wrapping around each other in such rapidness, their freezing breaths were stolen by their heated need of the other’s companionship. Alfred pulled away first, cupping Arthur’s face in his hands.

“I missed you so much,” the Alpha murmured as he rested his forehead against Arthur’s own.

“I missed you too, love,” Arthur nearly purred as he looked up at his mate with a smile.

They stared at each other for a while before pulling away fully, only their hands remaining connected. Alfred’s eyes gazed at his mate in awe, his free hand running his fingers through his short hair.

Their moment lasted for a few minutes before finally coming back to the Earth, a loud clap of thunder causing both to jump. After moving to sit on the bed, Alfred explained the flood of phone calls and decline in attendees, his voice carrying some sadness as he named off all the people that they had received calls from. Arthur listened, making a mental note of everyone Alfred named off, reminding himself that they would have to watch out for gift in the mail and send thank you cards accordingly.

“So what should we do?” Alfred asked, eyes looking into Arthur’s .

“I don’t know…“ Arthur began before pulling away and glancing down at the floor. He and Alfred wanted everything to be perfect, but now it didn’t look like it would be that way. The dreams that he once had of dancing with his mate on their Bonding Day to a 12-piece orchestra, all of their family and friends watching for a dance before joining them. There would be pictures and shouts of praise, children would be getting into things with their parents too busy to notice- leaving the servants to whisper jokes before going to pull the children away from the wedding cake. They would laugh, make toasts, tell stories, eat, maybe cry… It was supposed to be beautiful. It was supposed to be _perfect._

“I guess we’ll have to postpone everything then,” Alfred sighed.

Arthur nodded. “I think it would be for the best,” he muttered as he looked up at his Alpha.

Alfred nodded, his eyes heavy as he stood. He looked down at Arthur, who nodded solemnly- regrettably.  Thoughts of maybe the universe telling them they just weren’t supposed to be bonded filled Alfred’s mind, doubt of ever being bonded starting to drown him. But he walked towards the door to go tell everyone that had worked so hard that their efforts were for naught, and that those that did make it were there for no reason. Arthur watched as Alfred’s hand reach for the door knob, the sad scent rolling off of him like a wave that filled the room and drowned them both in sorrow. Looking down, Arthur’s hand went mindlessly to his pelvic area and-

“Wait!”

Alfred turned around to look at his mate, eyes full of confusion. “Arthur? What’s wrong?”

Arthur looked up at Alfred with slightly panicked eyes. Fear filling his eyes with a tinge of panic, large and almost trembling.  “Alfred, we have to be Bound today,” He tries to reason.

Alfred’s brow furrowed. His mate suddenly changing his mind was not like him; Arthur always through things through before giving an answer. “Arthur, I know we had planned-“

“No, Alfred, we have to be Bound _today_ ,” He repeated, standing to move to his mate. “Alfred-“

“Arthur,” Alfred cut off. “We can wait, don’t worry-“

“No!” Arthur shouted, cutting his mate off again. He reached for the Alpha’s hand, pulling it towards his body and pressing Alfred’s palm against his lower abdomen. “Our _baby_ , Alfred.”

Alfred looked down at Arthur’s stomach, having been hunched over a bit when his hand was forced down below Arthur’s naval. His brow unfurled and his eyes softened- understanding of Arthur’s sudden panic showing in his gentle smile.  The Omega looked up at him with fear still clear on his face, his eyes glistening with worry.

Alfred smiled at his mate before pulling him into a hug. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. Take a deep breath…  Look at me and _breathe,_ Arthur.”

Doing as he was told, Arthur looked up at his mate and took a deep intake of air. The forest that was his irises disappeared behind his lightly powdered and painted lids as he closed his eyes, relaxing in Alfred’s hold. He had to focus on Alfred, and the baby between them. They were family now- with or without some stupid bonding ceremony. They were already mates, and would have this baby either way. It didn’t matter what anyone- powerful, famous, rich- had to say. Their family was all that mattered- and Arthur’s instincts told him to protect them.

So then, what did it matter if those people were even there or not?

Arthur’s eyes opened as his head tilted back to look up at the taller man, a small smile gracing his lips. “Alfred.”

Alfred, looking at his mate with a small, crescent shaped smile, tilted his head at Arthur’s voice- almost like a puppy. Arthur could almost laugh at how innocent his mate could be at times. A wonderful comforting, reassuring type of innocence.

“Alfred, let’s be Bound today.”

Alfred was taken aback at his mate’s words. “Arthur, I just told you, we don’t have to-“

“I know, I know. But I want to.”

“But what about the storm? Or the people who couldn’t make it?”

“We planned on the ceremony being indoors, anyway. And as long as our families and close friends are here, I don’t see why we would have to postpone our special day for people that don’t really care. They don’t know us- your uncle and aunt invited them. Why should we postpone our Bonding for those that only know us by name? Our baby- our family, is what we should be bound for. Not to impress others,” Arthur’s smile grew with each word and, soon, he was beaming. “Alfred, we were technically bound a month ago, so what does it matter?”

It was true. Arthur felt so exhilarated! He felt free, once again- like he could conquer the world.

Arthur felt Alfred’s warmth leave him as the Alpha took a couple steps back. The Alpha’s face was shock and some kind of concern.

“Who are you and what have you done with my mate?”

Blinking eyes soon became frustrated as his brow furrowed. “Alfred, I’m serious.”

“And so am I,” Alfred’s face scrunched to match Arthur’s unamused look. “Last week you were all worried about people seeing us in the same room! Now you’re saying that what others think doesn’t matter? And then you didn’t want to be bound unless it’s perfect, and… Arthur, do you want this or not?”

Arthur was jolted by Alfred’s words, but his eyes shown no offense. Alfred waited, frustrated at his mate’s back and forth attitude. He knew that was how Arthur was, and it have only been magnetized with the pregnancy and stress of the ceremony, but too much had happened earlier that day for Alfred to honestly have much patience. He knew that they only had a few minutes before having to decide on what they were going to do, but now was the time to make sure they were on the same page.

“Arthur, I want to make you happy, but you’re making it really difficult for me. I’m not saying that you did anything wrong- I’m just trying to keep up with you,” Alfred reasoned, his voice quivering as he tried to keep it even.

Arthur’s brow furrowed, but his mouth remained silent. _‘What a time to want to discuss our relationship,’_ Arthur nearly snort at the thought.

But that was what Alfred was talking about, wasn’t it? Eyes veering down to the floor, Arthur’s mind became a battle ground once again- as it always did when Alfred became more reasonable than himself. One part wanted to angry at Alfred for bringing this up, and on their wedding day no less. Another felt guilt from Alfred’s words. And another, much more miniscule than the others, felt glad at Alfred’s words- they were mates, communication was necessary.

Maybe it was his hormones, maybe it was his lack of peaceful sleep as of late, or perhaps it was all the stress as of late. Either way, Arthur felt like kissing and slapping Alfred at the same time.

Looking up from the ground, Arthur squared his shoulders. “… I want to be Bound, Alfred. I want us to be a family- a proper one.”

“And you _really_ don’t care if we do it today?” Alfred asked, looking at his mate with eyes that only seemed to half-believe him.

Arthur gave the Alpha a small smile before lifting himself up onto his toes and placing a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

 

_The tapping of the rain was drowned out with the chatter and soft music of the orchestra._

_Less traditional than his brother’s Bonding Ceremony, and due to weather, Alfred had convinced everyone that the ceremony would take place inside the mansion- which worked out in the end._

_Everyone was seated, Alfred’s family on the left and Arthur’s on the right._

_The music faded out and everyone went quiet._

_The music began once more as Arthur entered through the double doors that now seemed so familiar to the Omega._

_Everyone stood until the pastor spoke- giving an opening statement before going onto the vows._

_He began:_

_“Do you, Alfred Jones, take Arthur Kirkland to be your mate?”_

I Do.

_“Do you, Arthur Kirkland, take Alfred to be your mate?”_

I Do.

_“The mates would now like to give their personal vows to one another.”_

_A Grandmother, mothers, a father, brothers, a sister, a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, uncles, aunts, and friends… Alphas, Betas, and Omegas alike._

_Their family._

Arthur, we haven’t known each other for as long as most mates. Our first meeting wasn’t the most pleasant memory, either. But, since we have met, you have taught me how to be an Alpha worthy of a mate like yourself. You have seen me at my lowest and highest points in life, and I hope that we will continue to create more and more happy memories. You are stubborn, harsh at times, and a natural born competitor. But you are also patient, honest, and compassionate. You challenge me, making me a better person as a whole. You are arguably the best thing that has happened to me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because of that, I promise to stay with you for all of our years together- being the best mate, friend, father, and lover that I can be.

_Tears fell from both sets of eyes, as did from everyone observing them._

Alfred, my mother had suggested that I write this during our week apart from each other. As I started writing, I felt like nothing was right. I tried to recall all of the moments that we had together, but all I felt was the loneliness of not have you holding my hand or kissing my lips. It was one of the most difficult weeks of my life.

But, as today grew closer and closer, I started to be think of everything you had once promised me. I thought of how you promised to live with me, and how you said that you would always love me. I never thought I would find an Alpha that would put up with me and continue to stand with me through all of the ups and downs. Because of this, I have fallen in love with you. I love your eyes, your smile, your warmth, and your obnoxiously loud laugh. I will never grow tired of them throughout our years together- as mates, friends, parents, and lovers.

_Between the sobs, hiccups, and tears, the words “I pronounce you Bound” could be heard._

_However, they didn’t wait for permission before embracing each other, lips locked as Alfred lifted the smaller male into the air._

_In the light of each other, they almost didn’t register the cheers and applauds._

* * *

The ceremony was a success in every meaning of the word.

Alfred held Arthur’s hand as they turned towards their make shift audience. Smiles abound as the Bonded pair walked down the aisle together and back out the doors that Arthur had entered from. The rain had not let up, but everyone seemed content with mingling in the foyer as the servants prepared the hall. During this time, they transformed the grand room from the quiet, sacred ceremonial area that it had just been and into one meant for laughter, music, dancing, and other forms of celebration.

While the guests and families chatted away, Alfred pulled Arthur upstairs to their bedroom once again. When the door was locked behind them, Alfred quickly grasped Arthur’s hips and pulled the Omega against his body, kissing him deeply. As much as Arthur would have liked them to go further, he knew that their disappearance would quickly be noticed.

“Al-Alfred…” Arthur tried to reason as the Alpha kissed down his jaw towards his neck, not paying his mate any mind.

“Alfred!” Arthur finally pushed the Alpha away when he felt a hand going down the back of his pants. “Alfred, as much as I would _love_ to continue this, we’re not done yet.”

Alfred, looking a mix of confused and disgruntled, gave Arthur one of the largest pouts the Omega had ever seen. “But Artie,” Alfred began as he tried to put his hands back at their previous post, only to be slapped away. “It’s going to take them a while to set everything up.”

Arthur gave Alfred a looked at clearly told the Alpha not to fight him on this one. But that did nothing to help Alfred’s pout that seemed to have cemented onto his face.

“Look,” Arthur began with a small sigh as he placed his hands on Alfred’s tie to make it look proper again- having been shifted about in their heated moment. “Alfred, love, I want to… _consummate_ our Bonding as much as you do. But,” He looked up at his mate through his lashes, a coy smile on his lips. “I don’t want it to last just twenty minutes.”

Alfred smirked, pulling Arthur against his body again. “Then let’s go dance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this took forever, but I hope you all enjoyed it. I know that I didn't go into the reception, but trust me, there would not really have been anything different from Matthew and Gilbert's reception. I really need to hear what you guys want to read (i.e. who you want to see more of, if you think a character is acting to OOC, ect). It helps me when I hit writer's block. I love you all and hope you all will stick with me.


	28. Of which the Author is not dead and she apologizes for this being so short

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Drops this here after a year and a half of not updating in hopes that some of my readers are still around and are willing to put up with my shit*

The snow fell to the ground with grace, covering outside in a cold blanket. The trees had lost every leaf, but their branches worked in silence to hold the copious snow drifts. Everything was silent outside as the moon disappeared behind the clouds, creating a soft glow on the earth below. Now late February, the cold was baring its fangs once more before it would retreat to make way for the warmer months.

                Arthur hummed contently as he read a novel in front of the fireplace in Hehewutti’s office, gently rocking back and forth in the wooden chair as Alfred and their Alpha discussed family matters. It had been a little over a month since Alfred and he were Bound, and Arthur was starting to feel the effects of the pregnancy as the baby grew more and more. The chair he sat in had been a gift from Hehewutti and Alfred’s mother, having been passed down through the mates that would lead their family. Arthur had felt very proud in owning the piece of wood; it made him feel more a part of Alfred’s family.

As the clock rung to alert the inhabitants of the room that it was nine o’clock, Arthur marked his spot in his book, feeling a sudden wave of tiredness come over him. The pregnancy had been kind to him thus far; small bouts of morning sickness and the occasional drop in energy were the only things to worry about. Looking over at the two Alphas, Arthur gave a small smile before standing up and givi34ng his body a light stretch. The wind could be heard rushing up against the house, but none of the inhabitants paid it much mind. The storm would be over soon enough.

“Is it that time already?” Hehewutti looked over at the old clock. “Tomorrow is school, and I have to get a meeting plan ready. You two go get some rest.”

With a nod of agreement, Alfred cleaned up the papers in front of him and walked over to his mate. They shared a glance before Alfred wrapped an arm around his shoulders, guiding them out of the office. As the pair walked towards their room Arthur began to doze, his head leaning against Alfred’s shoulder as he felt the energy keeping him awake drifted from him more and more.  The corners of Alfred’s mouth tugged upwards as he looked down at his mate. Arthur’s eyes began to close slowly before opening again, blinking quickly as if the movement would help keep them open.

“If you were this tired, you could have just gone to bed earlier,” Alfred nearly whispered as he helped his half-awake mate up the stairs.

“I wasn’t. It just kind of hit me a few minutes ago,” Arthur confessed as they reached the top of the stairs, a yawn following after his words.

Alfred’s smile falters ever so slightly. “Is it the baby?” Arthur only nods, continuing his journey to the bedroom.

A quick change of clothes and the couple were in bed, warming the cold sheets together. Granted the room was heated, but the coolness of the sheets was true to the battle of snow and wind going on outside of the insulated walls. Arthur buried himself into Alfred’s arms, muscles going loose as the Omega took in his mate’s scent. Giving a quiet hum, Arthur pulled his head out from Alfred’s chest to look up at his mate.

“You won’t be able to hold me like this for much longer.”

“What do you mean?” Alfred raised an eyebrow.

“The baby is going to grow more and more,” Not being able to hold back the smile, Arthur brushes his lips against Alfred’s chin. “They are going to grow and grow till I’m a balloon.”

Alfred gave a small chuckle and kissed Arthur’s forehead. “You’ll be the most attractive balloon ever.”

Arthur said nothing more, settling with a snort of laughter. The mates give small kisses here and there, but eventually fall asleep. With their arms wrapped around each other and their legs twisting together, the warmth keeps the cold of the winter at bay.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Feliciano will want to know when the baby shower is.”

                Looking up from his book at Kiku, Arthur gave a snort. “I know, he’s been bothering me about it for the past week. But it won’t be for a while. Alfred and I are still resting up from the Bonding.”

“The ceremony or the actual _Bonding_?” Kiku asked, coy smile on his lips.

Arthur’s cheeks warmed. “Kiku! Since when do you think such things?”

“I’m only asking a valid question. I’m sure that both were quite tiring?”

“I will not be gracing that question with an answer,” Arthur responds, picking up a stack of books to return to the shelves.

Kiku gave a light hum, knowing the answer already. The class period was spent in relative silence, which was a nice reprise from bustling that everyone had caused when Alfred and he had made the announcement about the pregnancy. They told their friends a little over a week prior, but it had quickly spread throughout the school. The past couple of days had been significantly tiring with classmates and teachers’ congratulations alike. The peaceful nature of the library offered Arthur moments of rest, to which he was grateful for. If only his friend wouldn’t find so much humour in his suffering.

“So what does Allistor have to say about the bun in the oven?”

Arthur felt something twitch. He readjusts the books in his arms as he tries to step up onto the step-stool. “It doesn’t matter what my brother says, Francis.”

Blonde hair bouncing with each step, the Beta took a few books out of Arthur’s arms to place them in the upper shelves. He gives a small hum as he ignores Arthur’s repulsion.

“I think it would be best for you keep your feet on the ground, no? Ask if you need help reaching the upper shelves,” Francis finished with a nod.

“I’m not made of glass.”

“Of course not. But your baby might as well be so, please, take precaution,” Low voice turns cheerful and higher as Francis gave a chuckle. “If something was to happen to you while here, your Alpha would be after me.”

“That’s a sight I would enjoy,” Arthur chuckled.

“You wound me, little one.”

“You’ll recover, you old bat.”

It didn’t take long for the period to end, Arthur had worked diligently and the time flew by without him even noticing. As the bell rung, Arthur went to grab his bag when it was pulled out from under his fingers. Spinning around, glare at the ready, Arthur caught the blue eyes and a playful smirk of his mate.

“You are a right arse, you know that?” Arthur clicked his tongue before pulling the bag out of Alfred’s hand.

Alfred hummed, arms wrapping around Arthur’s waist. “I missed you, too.”

“It’s only been an hour.”

Alfred only laughed, walking close behind Arthur as they walked to class. Friends and classmates greeted them as they walked, many stopping to try and start conversations, to which Arthur declined. Arthur felt Alfred’s arm wrap around Arthur’s shoulders as they made their way through the crowded halls. Hehewutti had warned Arthur about Alfred’s recent protectiveness, explaining that a pregnant Omega could make any Alpha-mate feel the need to tuck them away from other people. The prospect of such a thing…

Arriving to the classroom, Arthur pulled away from his mate with a nod. “I’ll see you after class.”

“Of course,” Alfred replied, grinning before walking towards his own class.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Arthur entered the classroom. It was rather loud with everyone chatting away, and as Arthur took his seat he couldn’t help but turn towards a now empty seat next to him. Matthew had withdrawn from the school after his Bonding ceremony, leaving the other Omega with a feeling of loneliness. Granted, he was able to see Matthew at family events with the Jones family, but he missed the subtleness of his Omega friend. There were others of course, between Feliciano, Kiku, and even Felkis, Arthur was never without a friend in a class. But Matthew was, in a way, a guide to the Jones family- his only real source of understanding as another Omega in an Alpha dominated home. Arthur had heard about Matthew’s rejection from the specialty school he was planning on getting into, and his heart sunk on behave of the other. But Matthew told him that he would try again after studying some more. A part of Arthur wished that he had just stayed in their school.

“Settle down, everyone,” the teacher called out, marking the class to begin. “Today we will be going over…”

Arthur quickly found himself in a rather indifferent mood. American authors were never favorites of his, to be honest. As the class went on, however, Arthur caught himself glancing at the empty seat many times over. _Distance makes the heart grow fonder_... Arthur listened to the lecture half-heartedly, the teacher droning on about the history of the time that the story was written and what-not. Perhaps he should give Matthew a call later, just to check on how he is doing.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, faces of classmates and teachers blending together with speckles of Alfred in between. It wasn’t until they were sitting in the car that Arthur registered that the day had even ended. Alfred was driving slower than usual, but the trees still flew by them as they headed home.

“So what’s on your mind?”

“What?”

“You’ve been out of it almost all day. So what’s up?”

‘What’s up’ indeed. Arthur knew what was wrong: he was concerned about the future, was slightly confused, and had a strange sense of loneliness. Really, Arthur knew that they were random emotions, nothing more than random thoughts throughout the day built up. But the one thing he knew for certain is that Alfred would become concerned if he confessed that.

“Nothing is ‘up’. I’m just tired is all.”

Alfred hummed in response, and Arthur hoped that he won’t press for any more answers.

 

* * *

 

 

                If Arthur Kirkland-Jones was asked to pin-point one thing that he could live without during his pregnancy it would be the early morning cravings. Nearly every morning, around two, Arthur would wake with a sudden urgency for something sweet, savory, salty, bitter… anything.

                “What do you want this time?” Arthur gave a soft groan as he opened the refrigerator, light blinding him for a moment.

                The baby had recently become Arthur’s nightly companion, encouraging the type of bond that Arthur had read about on online forums. Deciding on leftovers from dinner, Arthur makes his way to the microwave, tossing the Tupperware into the machine half-heartedly. Pulling out a stool from the kitchen island, he sat with a tired sigh as he glanced at the clock.

                _2:11_

                “I hope you get used to eating at normal hours,” Arthur whispers, patting his still flat stomach with a tired smile. “Or else your father is going to have to be the one to take care of you once you’re born.”

                The shrill beeps of the microwave cause Arthur to step down from the stool with a hurried motion. He tried to keep his nightly endeavors fairly silent as to not disturb the other residents of the house. So far, he had been successful. Alfred slept like the dead, so sneaking out of bed was easy enough as long as he wasn’t being used as Alfred’s personal teddy. Hehewutti’s room was at the other end of the house, so there wasn’t much concern there. However, Alfred’s mother slept in a room on the first floor, not too far from the kitchen, leaving Arthur with a sense of paranoia with just how much noise he was making.

               Arthur stilled as he opened the microwave after the first beep, listening for any sound of movement. Hearing none, he let out a breath of relief. Taking his time with each bite, Arthur listened to the ticking of the clock on the wall, enjoying the silence of the usually busy household. The wind could be heard outside, but the lack of snow hitting up against the glass made it a pleasant background noise. As he came to the end of his snack, Arthur sat back, gazing around the room under the gentle light coming from the stove vent.

               The kitchen was rather large, a lot of open floor with two stove ranges with plenty of counter space between them. The large oven was separate, built into one of the walls adjacent to the stoves with cabinets next to it, leading to a series of wooden doors that held all the kitchen and eating utensils in the house- save for the plate and fork in front of Arthur. The pantry was behind Arthur, nearly as big as the closet in his and Alfred’s room, so filled to the brim that the family could probably survive for a few months on its contents alone. To the right of Arthur, a few yards away, was a small kitchen table with four chairs around it. Alfred had told him that, like the rocking chair that had been gifted to Arthur, the table and chairs had been in the family for generations. Honestly, Arthur believed it.

With better light the table would reveal plenty of scratches, dings, and dents, along with a large crack in one of the chairs. It was in need of a new coat of lacquer, as the colour was faded in various spots, and one of the chairs had a wobbly leg. Quite frankly, the whole thing was an eyesore in the modern kitchen atmosphere. But Arthur looked at it fondly, thinking back to the breakfasts that he and Alfred had shared there, Alfred having a story for almost every mark on the table. The crack in the one chair was apparently from when Alfred had apparently tipped it over as a toddler when his aunt strapped his child-harness to it in hopes that he would stay still. Then there was the small, sequenced holes all over, which were from Alfred constantly trying to grab food off of Matthew’s plate while growing up, only for the young Omega to pull his whole plate away, leaving the table open to attack from Alfred’s fork. Table like that held stories, good and bad, reminding the families that eat from them of all the things they had been through. Arthur couldn’t wait to make more memories around that table with his own children.

                “You know, if you want something else, you have free range of the kitchen.”

                Turning a bit too fast on the stool, Arthur looks behind him in a fright. However, his nerves a calmed once he registers Alfred’s mother is walking towards him.

                “Did I wake you?”

                She waved a hand in front of her face, a smile forming on her lips. “No, no, you’re quite as a mouse. I just felt thirsty is all.” She smiled as she walked towards the refrigerator with a cup in her hand. The dim lights enlarged her shadow as she moved forward, her silhouette merging with the darkness past the light’s reach.  The retching of gears within the freezer filled the room, followed by the clinking of ice hitting glass echoing as the cubes began to float in the water. As she turned to her son-in-law, one eyebrow raised ever so slightly

                “Is something on your mind, Arthur?”

                “I-I don’t believe so, ma’am.”

                A small huff escaped the elder’s lips as she placed her glass on the island counter across from Arthur. “Arthur, I have raised two mischievous boys for almost eighteen years. I know when they are troubled or are hiding something.”

                Swallowing the lump he didn’t realize had formed, Arthur shook his head. “Really, it’s nothing. Just tired…”

                “Tired physically? Or mentally?”

                “…Both, actually.”

                “Scared?”

                “Kind of…”

                “Have you talked to Alfred about it?”

                “I… Mrs. Jones-“

                “Larissa, please. You are part of the family now- You’re a Jones just as much as I am.”

                Arthur nodded, but spoke not another word. How was he supposed to talk to Alfred about this? Omegas and Betas were the ones responsible for everything to do with pregnancy and babies. Alphas just needed to provide financially.

                “You know,” Larissa began, “Not even full O blood types know how to handle children most of the time.”

                Arthur glanced away, cheeks heating up. The elder Omega had seen right through him, all of his insecurities and fears. If he wasn’t an AB-

                “I didn’t know what to do when I was pregnant- and I was a practicing nurse!” Larissa cut through his thoughts, as if she knew his forest of a mind like the back of her hand. She smiled at him, as she slowly dragged her finger around the rim of her glass. “I remember when I realized I was pregnant. I had imagined that I had some terrible disease that you learn about in college textbooks. But after a smoke, I calmed down enough to realize what was probably happening,” She turned her head away, towards one of the windows.

                “That was the last cigarette I ever had. I didn’t even finish it…”

                “Ma’am- I mean, Larissa?”

                She hummed in response, turning her head back to Arthur. Blue eyes, just like Alfred’s, stared at him. Arthur felt as if she could see right through him, reading him like a book, highlighting and dog tagging the most private and important of things. He wondered if Alfred ever stared at something like that.

                “Did you… regret any of it?”

                Analyzing eyes grew wide is surprise, and Arthur feared he had divulged too much. He glanced away, trying to forces his legs to escape. Larissa gave a chuff that froze him in place. He didn’t know much about his mother-in-law; was she annoyed with him? Did she think less of him for asking such things?

                “There are times when I think ‘I could’ve done it differently’, if that’s what you’re asking,” Larissa lulled her head to her shoulder, grey rooted, blonde hair pooled over it.

                “I don’t regret having Alfred, no. Or taking in Matthew. I don’t even regret having my husband find a secondary mate. I love my husband and sons. But,” She drank from her glass, “There were, and still are, times that I wish I hadn’t changed so much for them. I wish I hadn’t settled on being a nurse- I could have become a genetic biologist. Don’t get me wrong, become a nurse was no cake walk, probably just as difficult to do. But, I… it wasn’t what I loved.”

                Arthur looked back Larissa with wide eyes, amazed at how talkative the reserved Omega was being. It was clear now exactly where Alfred had gotten that from.

                “Then, why did you become a nurse?”

                “Because it was the proper thing for an Omega to be. Really, my generation was probably the first where you could be a Bonded Omega, but still work. But the restrictions were…” she drank some more water before continuing, “… Stifling. It also doesn’t help that I Bonded with an Alpha from a more traditional family.”

                “But-“

                “Oh, no, they have changed a lot. See, when Alfred’s father began courting me, his Omega father insisted that we be chaperoned on all of our dates, meetings, and even as we went to classes. We were both in college at the time, and all of his siblings were already Bonded, so our courting was very fast.”

                “Like Alfred and mine’s?”

                Larissa nodded with a soft smile on her lips. “I don’t regret it, really. I love my husband and our sons. But, Arthur, I’ve noticed that you’ve lost that fire you had when Alfred brought you here for the first time. I don’t mean to pry but, from one person that married into this family to another, I do not want you to give up a part of yourself just to appease these people.”

                Silence filtered through the room, only the light buzz of the refrigerator made it all a bit less awkward. The digital clock on the stove flicked to the new number, a minute lost in the quiet night despite the conversation before. Really, no one should be awake at nearly three in the morning.

                Sensing that the other seemed to be in a state of thought, Larissa gathered her glass into hand once more before walking out of the kitchen. She paused for a moment and looked down at Arthur’s bowed head.

                “I believe that you and Alfred will make it work. But, please, don’t make it more difficult than it needs to be on yourselves,” she gently pat his head, “You two have a lifetime ahead of you.”

                By the time Arthur registered the warmth gone from his head, Larissa had retreated fully out of the kitchen. He knew he would not be able to sleep, but there was nothing more he wanted than to be with his mate. Thus, gathering up his dishes and putting them in the sink, Arthur turned off the lights before heading back upstairs to Alfred and their bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo.... go ahead and tear into it. I kind of lost touch with my beta reader because I am a terrible human being that cannot balance school with creativity (college sucks it out of you) and relationships. Anyway, I am sorry its so short after making you all wait over a year for the update. I'm going to be starting another story for the Haikyuu fandom here soon, so I felt I needed to at least work on this story some more before I do that. So tell me what you think and what you'd like to see!


	29. Of Morning Sickness and Progress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I first want to thank my beta reader, who can be found myblackcamera.tumblr.com and did a wonderful job so quickly you guys get this chapter earlier than planned! So you can thank her for that. Secondly, I really want to address something important:
> 
> For those that follow any of my tumblr pages (ofsocialimportance, sweetayako15, or sweetayakofanfics), you probably have seen the posts about this. There apparently has been someone (or some people) that have been stealing this story. I would like to thank the reader who left a comment on the last chapter for bringing this to my attention (and I sincerely apologize that I do not speak Spanish fluently to thank you in Spanish). Of Social Importance was modified by a one Danny_TommoLS to fit the One Direction fandom, then translated into Spanish, and finally posted on Wattpad. This person also claimed that they were the original author of this story (the Hetalia one). I want to make one thing perfectly clear: The ONLY username I use to publish any fanfiction is sweetayako15 (save for the few select people that I have given permission to translate my stories. But even then, they give me full credit for the story). If you come across any stories that are almost identical to mine in any language, please alert me ASAP. The main person in question has suggested moving their stories to facebook and/or tumblr, so I ask that you be on the look out. They write their stories in English, Spanish, and even Russian now. So if you speak any of these languages, and notice a copyright issue, I would be very grateful for you to alert me, especially if they are by this same person (as we have found many of their social media profiles to not only be false, but are also using images of the late Amanda Todd and claiming that they are the one in the images). 
> 
> Now that I have talked your ear off onto the chapter!

Alfred awoke the next morning with a stifled yawn, stretching his limbs before curling them back around Arthur. The Alpha pulled his mate close to his chest like a teddy bear and nuzzled into the Omega’s hair. That is what woke Arthur, who gratefully returned the embrace to fight off the chill of the air he felt on his cheeks. The blankets on top of them definitely helped, but nothing quite compared to Alfred’s natural body heat, and Arthur was not going to deny himself of it. At least, not until the Alfred’s phone began to go off with his 8-bit alarm.

“We have to get ready for school,” Alfred mumbled into Arthur’s hair, a hand reaching over to turn the alarm off.

“Must we?” Arthur murmured back against Alfred’s collarbone.

Chuckling, Alfred pulled away to look Arthur in the eyes. But the instant he moved, Arthur moved with him. He tried to roll to his side of the bed, but Arthur just shuffled closer, dragging rumpled blankets with him. Alfred smiles and wraps his arms back around Arthur with a chuckle. Arthur looks up at his Alpha with his own smile.

“You know,” Alfred brushes his fingers through the other’s hair, “I would love to stay in bed with you all day, but Grandmother would chew us out if she found out we ditched.”

“Who’s going to tell her?” Arthur challenged against Alfred’s chest.

“How about all the teachers?”

“… They’re traitors.”

“Some people would call it ‘doing their job’.”

Arthur finally looks up at his mate with puffed cheeks. “You’re supposed to be on my side.” He states.

‘ _You ass.’_ He lets himself add on mentally.

Alfred releases Arthur and rolls out of bed, giving a slight shiver at the temperature difference. With his feet safely within a pair of black slippers, he walks out of the room and down the hall to the thermostat for that section of the mansion and flips it on. Returning to the room, he can’t help but smile at his blanketed, loaf-shaped mate, who blatantly refused to come out till the room warmed up. Shrugging, Alfred made his way to their in suite bathroom to take a shower.

From the running water to the hum of the heater, Arthur knew he was not going to win this fight. Poking his head out from the covers, he glanced around the room before giving a defeated sigh and removed himself from his soft cavern. Moving up, Arthur placed his feet against the cold floor, a chill running through him. However, as his head reached full height, the chill turned into a gut wrenching feeling of revolt. Lurching forward, Arthur could feel his eyes beginning to sting as a burning sensation ran up his throat and to his tongue. Without a second to waste, Arthur lunged towards the bathroom, throwing open the door.

Ignoring the shriek of surprise from Alfred, as he turned around in their glass walk in shower, Arthur saw the toilet. But feeling his throat unwillingly expand too quickly, Arthur settled for the safety of the sink. Throwing his head forward, he emptied his throat full of stomach acid and mostly digested foods into the basin. The smell burning his nostrils like rotting peppers as he made sure to get everything out before pulling away and crumbling to the ground.

Arthur didn’t realize the opening of the glass door, or Alfred walking over to him. He felt numb. The kind of numb where nothing makes sense and all the senses are made of nothing. It wasn’t until warm, wet arms wrapped around Arthur made him look up at blue eyes.

“Arthur! Oh my god, are you okay?” Alfred panicked.

Arthur nodded, not remembering how to use his acid burnt tongue.

Alfred reached for one of the hand towels on the counter, ignoring the stench that exuded from the counter and from Arthur. He quickly wiped Arthur’s mouth before leaving for a moment to wet the towel with the shower water, returning to let Arthur hold the towel to his face. Alfred said something about being right back, but Arthur only nodded.

Why did he throw up?

What if he was sick?

Would it affect the baby?

Arthur finally snapped out of his daze when he heard the bedroom door opening and Alfred’s heavy footsteps running down the hall. A small, ever humorous, part of him hoped the Alpha remembered to grab some sort of article of clothing before exposing the rest of the inhabitants of the mansion to his… manhood. But Arthur quickly shut the idea down in favor of trying to figure out why he now had an empty stomach, acidic taste in his mouth, and a sink full of vomit. He looks down at his lap, eyes going over his still rather flat stomach.

‘ _Ah,’_ Arthur’s eyebrows raise with a thought, ‘ _Was this your doing?’_

“He’s in the bathroom.”

Arthur looked into the bedroom, seeing Larissa coming towards him, Alfred following after his mother. She kneels next to him, pushing his bangs up to feel his forehead before moving down to put the back of her hands against his cheeks. Her doesn’t look him in the eyes, to which he is thankful.

“Well, he doesn’t seem to be running a fever,” Larissa said, standing up before pulling Arthur back up to his feet. “I believe that it’s just a case of Infant Inconvenience.”

“What?” Alfred paled, imagining something horrid is something wrong with the baby.

Larissa chuckled at her son’s look. “Morning sickness, Alfred. It’s part of the beauty of pregnancy. Though, I’m impressed that Arthur actually had it in the morning.”

Arthur gave her a weak smile at her humor. He felt disgusting- inside and out. But it was relieving to know that the vomit was normal. Or rather, as normal as vomiting could be in any situation.

“Anyway, I suggest Arthur stay home today. It is kind of shocking when you first start-“

“You mean he’s going to throw up even more?” Alfred asked, shocked.

Larissa sighed, knowing how ignorant her Alpha son could be. “Of course, Alfred. My morning sickness didn’t really curve off till the middle-end of the second trimester.”

Now, it was Arthur’s turn to pale.

 

* * *

 

 

Arthur soon understood Larissa’s comment about Arthur’s morning sickness only being in the mornings, as it did not stay that way for long. Some days he would end up in the restroom at the school as soon as the mixed smells of cafeteria food hit his nose. Other days he would leave his 5th period class and spend half of 6th period in Yao’s office because of his unsettled stomach. There were also days where nothing happened. Any which way he looked at it, Arthur was not pleased with his current situation.

_Arthur, are you sure you shouldn’t stay home?_

_Arthur, do you need to lay down?_

_Arthur, let me carry that._

_Arthur-_

_Arthur-_

Needless to say, Alfred was not making it any more tolerable with his _help_. The Alpha was just showing his concern, Arthur knew this. Ever since the morning sickness began, Alfred was like a hawk, ready to catch Arthur as if he was going to faint at the drop of a hat. But the concern was quickly becoming nagging, and he was ready to explode- and not just because of the constant puking. Thus, he began to find sanctuary in places that he could hide out and get a break from his mate.

During a day in which Arthur found himself needing Yao’s assistance, he found a new sanctuary in the nurse’s office. Arthur also found that the school nurse was also some sort of witch doctor.

“You… want me to drink this?” Arthur asked incredulously, staring at the inky liquid in the cup Yao had put in his hands. 

“It’s good for the stomach! It will settle it,” Yao stated as he reached into a cabinet, pulling out a small container.

“You do realize you can lose your license for giving students strange things like this, right?”

“Bah. Chinese medicine works better.”

Arthur felt for a split second that he should report the Omega to the health board, but decided against it in favor of just setting the questionable glass off to the side.

 “I’d rather not, thank you.” Arthur looked out the window of the small office, the snow still covering the ground, beginning to melt.

Yao busied himself with filling out various paperwork, not minding the silence. Dark eyes glancing up every so often to make sure Arthur was all right, ready to guide him into the restroom at any moment. Ever since the day Arthur had told him about the pregnancy, Yao was up in arms about making sure the other Omega was getting enough rest and proper nutrients. Granted, Yao was a school nurse, not an obstetrician, and thus much of his nagging was ignored. But his advice did not go unfounded.

“Is that your family?”

Yao’s head shot up, having gotten lost in his work. Following Arthur’s line of sight, Yao stopped at the framed photograph on his desk. There were a large group of people gathered around an elderly man, all smiles, with snow-capped mountains behind them.

“Ah, yes.” Yao reached for the picture, standing up to take it to Arthur. Handing it to him, he sits next to the blonde.

“The man in the middle is my grandfather. And these are all my family. My parents, my aunts, uncles, cousins.”

Arthur looked over all the faces, there was at least fifteen of them. All dark hair and eyes, the same grinning smile, and similar features on half of them… They appeared to be one, rather large, happy family. Except for one man, standing off to the right of the photo.

“Who is this?” Arthur asks, pointing to the tall, blonde man.

“Ah, that,” Yao smiles as he take the photo to get a better look, “That is the man that eventually became my mate.”

Arthur felt his jaw drop ever so slightly, but couldn’t stop it. “You’re mated?”

The look that the elder Omega gave the younger made the snow seem like a sauna. “Why did you think I wasn’t?”

“B-but,” Arthur tried to backtrack, not wanting to offend the other. “You don’t have a Bond mark!”

Staring at Arthur for a moment, Yao shook his head, a small smile on his lips. “Ah, yes, he is no longer around.”

Arthur blinked a few times, brain busy comprehending Yao’s statement. “He… passed?”

“He wasn’t an Alpha.” Yao went back to his desk, setting the picture down gently. “He was an Omega like you and me.”

To say that Arthur was dumbfounded would be an understatement. “H-how does that work?”

“Like any other healthy relationship,” Yao explained easily, taking his seat again at his desk. “He’s was a therapist. Specifically for Omegas who had gone through traumatic events. It’s how we met actually, and I found him so easy to talk with. He helped me through many difficult times, always taking my emotions in stride.”

Questions began to swim all around Arthur’s head. Why did Yao have to see a therapist? How did an Omega become a therapist? How did an Omega and Omega relationship work? How did this man pass?

“You look like a fish,” Yao chided, pulling Arthur out of his thoughts. “Isn’t it rude to stare?”

Feeling his cheeks heat up, Arthur looked away.

“Bah. Well, go on. Ask your questions,” Yao waved his hand passively as he spoke.

“I… I don’t want to intrude-“

“Of course you want to intrude. You want answers. Don’t lie.”

“Right…,” Arthur glanced around the room, sight landing back on the cup near the cot. “Um… How did he become a therapist? I have never heard of an Omega being a therapist.”

“He took suppressants for many, many, years, before they were completely legal. No one suspected him to be more than tall Beta.” Yao chuckled, voice low. “But Omegas your age could go into the psychology field now. It would be difficult, but you could do it.”

“That’s rather courageous of him… suppressants are harsh on the body, aren’t they?”

Yao’s eyes softened as he looked at the picture again. “Yes, they are. Especially the ones he was taking.”

“Is that…” Arthur’s voice trailed off.

“How he died? Oh no.” Yao shook his head. “They definitely played a role in his failing health towards the end. But it was a blood clot that got him in the end.”

“How old was he?” Arthur asked, voice small.

“Much older than me. He was what you would call a ‘silver fox’?” Yao winked.

 He couldn’t help but smile at that.  “Is that why you turn Ivan down? Because he’s too young for you?”

Eyes growing wide for a split second, Yao let out a loud laugh again. “Oh, that poor boy. He’s been chasing me since he was ten years old!”

“What?” Arthur’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion

“Well, you see, he was my mate’s nephew. So we would see him at all of the family events, ever since he was a child. I remember when he presented as an Alpha- he was so distraught that I wouldn’t love him because he wasn’t an Omega!” Yao snickered. “He called me, begging me to forgive him for not being an Omega. I had to reassure him that it was all right, that he was fine just the way he was. Somehow, he took it more in the context that I loved him the way he is, and hasn’t let me be since.”

“He seems committed,” Arthur smirked.

“That’s one way to put it,” Yao agreed.

The rest of the afternoon continued on in the exchanging of stories, only interrupted by a bout of repulsion from Arthur’s body. Yao directed him to sleep for the rest of the class period, only being half an hour.

It wasn’t long till Arthur awoke to fingers brushing back his hair, green eyes opening to see his mate sitting next to the cot. Sharing a smile, Arthur stretched with a yawn. The nap was definitely needed.

“Good afternoon to you too, Princess.”

“Call me Princess one more time and I’ll show you a dragon,” Arthur sleepily quipped back.

Alfred only hummed, watching Arthur sit up and stand. “Ready to go home?”

Nodding, Arthur grabs his bag.

“Hey, let me carry that for you,” Alfred reaches out to grab the bag.

“Alfred, I appreciate the sentiment, but I can carry my own bag.”

“But a good mate should-“

“A good mate should listen to their mate and allow them some independence.”

Both teens jumped, having forgotten Yao’s presence in the office. They turn to him, the Omega shaking his head is disappointment.

“Alfred, an Omega is not a fragile piece of glass. It is fine to do things for your mate, but do not make them be dependent on you for every little thing. Do you understand?” Yao’s eyes narrowed, honing in on the Alpha a good head taller than him.

Alfred frowned, a bit dumbfounded. “But I’m supposed to take care of-“

“You can take care of Arthur by being there for him and listening to him. Only when he overworks himself should you intervene.”

Arthur looked at Alfred, and then at the ground in nervousness. Alfred could smell the fear on Arthur, but he could not think of a single reason for the scent.

“Alfred,” Yao drew his attention back to him, “Get Arthur home so you both can talk. I can smell the- the… whatever it’s called, between you.”

“Tension. The word is tension,” Arthur supplied, walking towards the door.

 

* * *

 

 

“Arthur, what’s wrong?”

He was anticipating the question. Really, he was. However, in all his anticipation, he never thought of how to respond to said question. And with no answer, no emotion, or plan of action prepared, Arthur found his lips sealed and his eyes staring at nothing out of the side window.

“ _Arthur_.”

He could hear the leather cover of the steering wheel protest as Alfred’s hands squeezed it tighter. He was exuding nervousness, and Arthur wanted to turn around, tell him it was all alright and that he was sorry for talking back to him. He wanted Alfred to pull over, bring him into a hug and kiss away the tension.

But it wasn’t okay.

He was not happy.

Arthur would _not_ apologize.

“Arthur, babe, please talk to me. I can’t fix it if you won’t tell me what is wro- Goddammit! Watch where you’re going!”

Arthur watched the person that nearly hit them flip them off and drive away. The Omega knew his mate would blow up soon if he didn’t do something. It was a real battle to decide to be a good mate.

“Alfred.”

Arthur didn’t even need to look at his mate to know he was tense.

“Can we go to the ranch house tonight?”

“Wait, what?”

Arthur felt a small smile come over him, from where, he didn’t know. He just… felt like smiling.

“I want to go to the ranch house. Just for tonight. It can be like a small vacation.”

“Arthur, we need to talk about-“

“I know. And we will. I just want to go there.”

“…Alright.”

And so they did. After quick stop at the main house, a quick gathering of clothes and food for the weekend , and a quick wave goodbye to Larissa, they found themselves at the place where they were Bound to each other.

As soon as they get out of the car, Alfred goes for the bags, grabbing everything in a strange balancing act that Arthur could only shake his head at.

“I’ll put everything away, you just go and rest,” Alfred stated as he opened the door.

“How about I put the food away if you get the clothes,” Arthur offered, as if tutoring someone on a back mark they had gotten on a test, glancing at Alfred out of the corner of his eye.

The Alpha paused, contemplating his next move. “Yeah, okay.” He relinquished the bags of food rather reluctantly.

Once everything was put away, Arthur walked up to their room. Or rather, the room they had occupied last time they were there. He found some comfort in the room still smelling like them, taking in the scent and remembering the week they had spent together. Arthur wanted more moments like that one. But they had become far and few between lately.

“Do you want to talk now or later?” Arthur asked.

Alfred closed the last drawer before turning to look at Arthur.

“Now.”

And so they did.

Arthur sat next to Alfred on the bed, their arms barely touching. It was easier to talk this way, not having to directly face each other. Not to mend their words according to the other’s expression. To be honest, and to listen honestly. They talked about the baby, school, family affairs, friends- all the stressful things in their lives.

“I… I’m not a normal Omega, Alfred. You know that.” Arthur finally said.

The Alpha shifted slightly, but said nothing in return.

“Someone pointed out to me the other day that I seemed _not myself_ ever since we bonded. But, I don’t believe it’s because of you. At least not directly,” Arthur’s voice grew firmer. “You’re family, the Jones name, it requires things of the Head Alpha’s mate that I just can’t be. I can’t sit back when I get upset. I can’t turn the other cheek. I will bite and scratch till no one second guesses where I stand.”

He paused, waiting for Alfred to say something. But silence followed, the low static in the air becoming louder. Shifting against the pillows, Arthur opened his mouth again, but quickly closed it. He wanted to see Alfred’s expression, to know if he had said too much. But he also didn’t want the confirmation that he had. That he had messed up. That he had hurt his mate. That-

Arthur went stiff as he felt something touch him. Glance down, Arthur felt his shoulders lower as he watched Alfred’s hand grasp his own.

“Keep going, Arthur.”

And so he did. “I want to be with you. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be here right now. I wouldn’t be sitting on this bed in a room that we bonded in. I wouldn’t be…”

_‘Out with it. Just say it you twit.’_

“… I wouldn’t be in _love with you_. But I am. And I always want to be. But, I can’t be if I resent you and your family for making me be who I’m not. I know the Head Alpha said she wanted me to be more ‘Omega like’, but I can’t be. Not because of my blood type, or because I don’t want to be. I just can’t be. I am as Omega like than I was the day I was born. Do you- “ Arthur turned to finally look at Alfred, only to find the man staring back at him, “Do you understand?”

“Arthur…” Alfred began.

“If you say something cheesy I swear-“

“I love you for you. I wouldn’t want you to change for anything,” Alfred finished, grinning.

“Idiot… what did I just say?” Arthur reached over with his free hand and pinched Alfred’s nose. But he smiled as he pulled away.

“I’m serious. I like my mate who can’t cook, can be pretty rude, and will stand up for himself in a fight.”

“Don’t be an-“

“Arse. Yeah, yeah, I know. But really,” Alfred shifted so that his whole body was facing Arthur, “The day I brought you here, I knew that you would be my mate for the rest of my life. I knew what I was getting into. And I’m sorry I didn’t notice the pressure you were under. I should have noticed… but that’s why we’re talking now, right?”

Arthur was pretty sure Alfred’s smile was contagious.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re talking now.”

The rest of the weekend was full of more talks, watching movies and Alfred trying to figure out how Arthur could mess up at cooking while using a very clear recipe and followed every step correctly. It was nice, to have just the two of them- well, three, including their child who had decided to give Arthur a break from vomiting for a while.

While they kept warm inside, the cold weather was unrelenting, freezing over the ground every night with a new gust of wind.  While the cold was rather inconvenient (especially with layering up every time Alfred had to go outside for wood), the scene it left in its wake was wondrous. The snow covering the ground like a blanket of shimmering satin, the silent dripping of water as the sun reflected off every crystal hanging off the trees. The open land around the house was untouched, save for the few animals daring to come out of their holes.

It was beautiful.

 

 

 

But, just as the snow melts, all good moments must come to end. Just some end more harshly than others.

 

 

 

 

 

_“Alfred, this car is a death trap.”_

_“She’s fine.”_

_“The roads are icy. Put the chains on first will you?”_

_“Don’t worry! Its noon! The ice will have melted by now.”_

_“If you say so…”_

_“See? We’re half way home.”_

_“Perhaps I was just paranoid.”_

_“Probab-“_

_…_

_…_

_…_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I am sorry to leave you here. But the plan for this story has a happy end, I promise. It just probably won't turn out the way you expected! (So please don't kill me). But as a reminder, please keep an eye out for the issue state in the Author's Note before the chapter. And I want to thank all my readers for sticking with me. It means a lot to me. So tell me what you think and what your theories are! I love to hear them, and I sometimes draw inspiration from them.
> 
> Till next time,  
> Ayako


End file.
